Sunflowers and Daisies
by tsuyuzamu
Summary: What happens when Seiichi Yukimura and an incredibly modest boy get together? Unlimited fluff, silly shenanigans, and a whole slew of Yukimura's sadism! [Yukimura/Male!OC ONESHOTS / Eventual SanaYana] (SET AT COMPLETE BECAUSE UPDATING WILL BE RANDOM) Update 4/13 - Chapters 1-12 revised
1. First Encounter

**A/N 10-28-15: Before anyone reads on, please note that this story's timeline is jacked up. The story was written while I was still just starting PoT, so there are some things that happen in this story that shouldn't be possible yet or did not happen in that time yet. If this is one of your pet peeves, I apologize.**

* * *

Everything began that sweltering, summer day when the sun was shining at its brightest and all time seemed to near a complete stop.

The day was leisurely, in a somewhat fair way. As time drew on in its snail pace and students went about their school activities without taking notice, a certain junior high student—to be specific, the president of the gardening club (despite being only a 2nd-year), began to venture his way to the rooftop garden.

Although it was lunchtime, he preferred to tend to the plant life grown there by some faceless student. Even if the garden was started by said student, said student didn't seem to mind having another helping hand to tend to the flowers there. There were never complaints reported and no one ever came onto the rooftop to scold him. If that student never openly complained to the teachers or club sponsors about the additional plants or assistance, then the president saw no harm in continuing the additional gardening he did there. Besides, he had nothing to do during lunch anyways and he didn't have many friends to begin with. It was simpler to mind his personal business in a secluded area far away from human contact.

Yes, he was a _strange_ one, that Hitoshi Matsumoto.

His entire life seemed to just _revolve_ around plants! Though, no one really cared too much about his interests anyways. As long as he wasn't bothering them, he could do whatever he pleased.

All in all, he was strange, accepted his strangeness, and unconsciously made everyone else around him accept it as well. It'd become normal of him to walk around with bits and pieces of flora stuck in his unruly sandy-blonde hair and smudges of dried mud traced across his flushed cheeks. No one ever pointed out his disorderly appearance to him, and he never asked any questions himself (not that he was much of a talker to begin with anyways), so it was a general consensus that he just didn't care about appearances. And if he didn't care, then why should everyone else?

It went without saying that whatever Matsumoto did with his time or his looks was his own business and his own business only.

So when he was strolling through the halls carrying a plastic bag of fruits, his eyes trained on the marble floor below his feet, no one said a single thing or even acknowledged that he was there walking by them. Matsumoto didn't seem to care either, since he simply went about his usual path to the stairs that led to the rooftop.

He'd walk for some few minutes before reaching an empty corridor. He was getting closer.

In a sudden rush of excitement to see how his "children" were doing Matsumoto practically skipped the rest of the way, bag of fruits in one hand with various gardening tools being carried in the other. But as he begun to prance up the large set of stairs, skipping several steps along the way, he could catch the sound of faint footsteps trailing along behind him. He paused his jigging for just a moment, wondering if it was perhaps getting louder... then he shrugged his shoulders and continued walking. It was probably some other student wandering around the school out of boredom. With a nonchalant sigh, Matsumoto continued on forward.

When the beige-blonde reached the rusty old door separating him from the wondrous world outside he grabbed the handle and pushed hard, swinging the old thing open and cringed at its squeal of despair. But all concerns towards the condition of the rooftop entrance left his mind as a flood of sunlight immediately rained down upon him. A small smile touched his lips as he shielded his eyes with the hand holding the bag of fruits.

Today was going to be a good day, was what the great blue sky above was telling him.

Before getting straight to his usual work, he studied the plants around him carefully. They were all so wonderfully healthy and strong in color it brought a satisfying sense of content to Matsumoto. He even sighed like a proud father, albeit the disappointing knowledge that some of the _"children"_ weren't technically his own.

He set the bag of home-grown fruits on a table by the door, rummaging around the various things also laid out on the table as he searched for his white garden gloves. Actually, to be correct, his _not_-so-white gardening gloves; they'd become so old and stained with dirt it was impossible to tell whether or not they were really white to begin with. When he finally found them under a box of seed packets a few minutes later, he began to work.

As he started to tend to the daisy box he'd set up a week earlier, it was as if he were sent to a different world. His mind wandered and he grew oblivious of everything except himself and the plants around him. In fact, he was so oblivious he didn't notice the rooftop door creak open nor hear its usual rusty squeak—and he especially didn't notice the figure that had stepped out to join him outside.

He was, in his head, alone with the only the plants. As he walked around, not noticing the fellow 2nd-year standing in front of the door watching him, he almost even grew blind to the time. Just when he was about to pull weeds from a bed of daisies, he heard a voice.

"It's just ten minutes before lunch ends. You should finish up with that, and then eat something. Otherwise you'd be very hungry the rest of the day."

Matumoto froze in place, the realization that someone else was on the rooftop with him practically dragging him by his feet to the realm of reality.

Who could it possibly be watching him?

The other student?

The founder of this beautiful garden?

Oh no, was he finally going to be scolded for infiltrating someone else's garden?

The beige-blonde stood up and turned around, literally coming face-to-face with another boy.

Matsumoto nearly jumped out of his skin and painfully bit back a loud scream. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from almost backing into the bed of daisies. The boy's blue eyes widened in realization of this and he quickly grabbed Matsumoto by the shoulders, stopping him from crushing the poor flowers.

There was a moment of silence between the boys. As the silence drew on in long minutes, Matsumoto stared back at the other boy with enlarged eyes filled to the brim with shock. It wasn't until another minute later that what had just happened finally registered into his overworked brain.

With a small squeak, he pulled away from the boy and knelt down to his knees, studying the daisies that almost became victim to his feet. After a thorough check, Matsumoto sighed with relief. Thank goodness that none of them were even the slightest bit trampled, otherwise Matsumoto would never forgive himself. He then stood up, turning towards the boy who'd stopped him from destroying his precious flowers.

He was probably a 2nd-year like Matsumoto, since 1st-Years tended to avoid him and because most didn't even know there was a rooftop garden.

But at the same time—at the same time, there was _no possible way_ that the freaking _Adonis_ standing before him was a 2nd-year. His beauty was far too unreal. So unreal that Matsumoto wondered to himself for a moment if he'd actually fallen into the daisies and knocked his head so hard that he was having hallucinations.

Why hadn't he noticed this boy's impossible elegance before?!

The boy's dark cobalt-blue hair was glossy and wavy with parted bangs that framed his shaped face perfectly; his lovely clear eyes were also the same pretty color as his hair. Against the light of the sun his pearly-pale skin glowed, giving him an ethereal appearance. And that _smile,_ oh gosh, that _perfectly curved smile_ on those pale cupid lips, oh _GOODNESS._

(What had Matsumoto ever done in his life to deserve one perfectly good look at someone so aesthetically perfect?)

It seemed the longer that Matsumoto stared, the more _beautiful_ the boy became.

And like a curse, his severe shyness towards incredibly attractive people (this boy was so insanely lovely it was near ridiculous) forced him to tear his eyes away. He instead studied himself, hexing himself for the fact that he never seemed to properly tuck in his shirt or keep dirt off him as he gardened.

"I-It's okay... I come up here in the afternoons a-anyway..." he stammered, blue eyes blinking like rapid gunshots.

When Matsumoto finally looked back up at the boy, he was surprised to see the expression on his face. It wasn't disgust like he'd expected, but instead vague amusement and interest. His violet eyes danced with a kind of spark, like something about Matsumoto caught his attention—and he simply couldn't wait to play with this shy little kitten—or rather, _rabbit._

"Is that so? That's good. You should eat now, then. You haven't touched your food since you came up here."

Matsumoto blinked, suppressing the blush that was creeping onto his face. "Huh...? Are you talking about...?"

He looked over to the table where he had set down his bag of fruits and suddenly remembered.

"O-Oh! My lunch!"

He dashed over to the table and opened the plastic bag. He looked inside and sighed with relief at the sight; he was more than glad that they hadn't shriveled up under the hot sun. They became a little warmer, yes, but were still good to eat from the looks of it. He sighed with relief again and pulled out an apple, turning to the mysterious boy with a sheepish smile. With a slight bow he nervously stuttered, "Th-Thanks for reminding me... I almost forgot!"

"I can tell. I've been watching you since I came up here, a few minutes after you did." He replied casually, grinning at the boy's surprised face. Matsumoto blushed again at the realization that this boy was _teasing_ him.

_H-He... was watching me garden? And I didn't even notice?_

"Ah! I almost forgot!" the boy walked over to him, holding out a pale hand for Matsumoto to shake, "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, a 2nd-year! I'm the one who started the garden up here, and I just wanted to thank you for being such an efficient helping hand. I'm always busy, so I can't come up here often."

Matsumoto stared at the outstretched hand and hesitantly took off his garden gloves. He slipped his palms across the other one, noting how rough it felt in some places. It felt so oddly out of place, since a boy with looks as graceful as Yukimura's would be imagined to have much softer palms.

As they shook hands, he looked up into the boy's navy eyes. "Uh… no problem, I guess. I-I just come up here since no one else does. I'm glad to have been of some help for you. But uh… a-are you in a sports club?"

Yukimura first blinked in surprise, and then smiled again. "Yeah... tennis. How did you know? Was it because of my hands?"

Matsumoto replied with a small nod of his head.

"Yeah... my older brother's hands feel like that too, except they're a little rougher than that. He's in college and plays... ah, tennis too, I think. Though it could also be baseball, I'm not really sure."

"Ah, is that so...? That's nice. You're amazingly observant, I see." Yukimura murmured in a dulcet tone, which was actually very fitting of him. He gazed at Matsumoto with a warm expression as he continued to hold the hand given to him. Matsumoto felt his face get hot again and pulled away from Yukimura's grip, quickly turning around so that his face couldn't be seen. He reached into the bag of fruits and pulled out a peach, thrusting it into Yukimura's chest as a gift of gratitude for reminding him about lunch. Yukimura took it from him and stared at it, chuckling softly with amusement.

"What are you acting so flustered about? Did I do something to embarrass you?" he asked, leaning towards the boy's ear.

Matsumoto's eyes widened and he wordlessly shook his head as he sat down up against the wall, silently eating an apple. Yukimura sat down next to him.

"Do you not have friends?"

Matsumoto looked at him with an expression of surprise. "N-No... I mean, just none close enough to eat lunch with... I don't really make friends very easily. It's kinda hard, since I don't really understand most of the things kids my age like. I've always been more of a loner than anything... but this year I plan to make at least one or two good friends."

Yukimura chuckled as he leaned a bit closer to the boy, teasingly shoulder-bumping him as he said, "I'll be your friend. But you should definitely go and socialize with the others... because what if you're feeling down one day? Who are you going to talk to? Who will comfort you, or cheer you up?"

"I garden... that's how... I cheer myself up when I'm down." Matsumoto answered ruefully, hunching his shoulders embarrassingly as he played with a stray blonde curl on his head.

Yukimura stared at the boy, studying him carefully with his penetrative violet eyes. "What's your name? You never told me earlier."

"Ma-Matsumoto Hitoshi, is my name..." Matsumoto murmured in response, still not looking at him eye-to-eye.

Nodding his head with content, Yukimura tilted even closer to the boy, until their eyes were aligned with each other. "Hitoshi... that's a nice name. But are you sure it really suits someone as easily flustered as you? You seem more like an 'Usagi' to me."

Matsumoto gaped at him incredulously with his wide blue eyes and flushed cheeks. "Th-That's not true...!" he cried out, trembling from head to toe in humiliation.

Yukimura laughed pleasantly again, amused with how easy it was to embarrass the boy.

Hitoshi on the other hand frowned and continued to eat his apple, glaring at the ground under him as he did so. Like all his classmates had described, his light beige hair was a mess of waves and curls, with flower petals stuck here and there. On his cheeks and nose were smudges of dried mud.

When Yukimura's eyes traveled down to Matsumoto's hands, he could see that they were definitely covered in bandages. He had a fellow classmate that was always watching over Matsumoto, and when Yukimura finally asked why, he could see what the girl meant when she told him that Matsumoto was... _"vulnerable"_ to the world. His smile faded a little, and he looked at his watch. "Oh, it's time to go."

"Really?" Matsumoto blinked and stood up, putting the leftovers of his fruits in a blue bin nearby—most likely for compost. He wiped his hands with a towel on the table and then his face. But it didn't seem to do much but smudge the dirt even more. Before Yukimura could tell him to do it more properly, Matsumoto was already almost out the door. He paused for a few seconds and turned to look at Yukimura with a bright smile.

"I had a nice talk with you. Thanks for reminding me about lunch!"

One moment he was there, and in one moment he was gone.

Yukimura continued to stare where the gardener stood before for some time, half-expecting him to return suddenly, but after some time it was obvious the boy was really gone. Then, with a soft sigh and smile, he stood up and opened the door.

Before leaving, however, Yukimura took one more glance at the cloudless blue sky.

"You... really are a strange one, Matsumoto-kun."


	2. Concerns

It was a chilly December day when Matsumoto saw Yukimura again.

For a week, Yukimura had been absent. Even though they weren't in the same class, Matsumoto would occasionally have an encounter with him in the hallways. Sometimes Yukimura would even pay him a surprise visit during lunch. So when he hadn't been appearing recently, Matsumoto got a little worried…

Even though they weren't exactly the closest friends, they _were _still well-acquainted with each other. At least, well enough for Matsumoto to grow anxious when he didn't see Yukimura at school. So, he made plans to ask Yukimura's friends, Gen'ichirou Sanada and Renji Yanagi.

_They_ would, or should, definitely know something about the blue-haired boy's exact whereabouts.

When lunch break came, Matsumoto left his classroom and started to make his way over to their class. He had never talked to Sanada or Yanagi, but he knew where their classes were, since they became rather popular after winning Nationals two times in a row.

Additionally, if memory served him right, then they _should've_ been classmates with Yukimura as well.

Once he reached their class, he shyly slid open the door, taking a hesitant peek inside the classroom. His eyes wildly darted around for a moment and he stared at all the various students sitting around, all chatting amongst themselves casually.

A moment later he caught sight of Sanada, whom was sitting in a seat close to the back of the classroom. He seemed to be listening to another boy, one with short chestnut-brown hair, talk about something unknown. From the looks of it, he must've been Yanagi.

Matsumoto immediately dashed over towards the two, trying to overlook the students who'd begun staring. He bowed down at a small angle and looked up with flushed cheeks and fidgety eyes.

"Um, e-excuse my interruption, please…"

"Hm? There's no problem, what is it?" Yanagi said, looking at him through closed eyelids. Matsumoto nodded at him and turned his attention towards Sanada, nervously asking, "Do you know where Yukimura-kun has been during this time? I haven't seen him for a while, so I was… I was—ah—worried…"

Sanada's usually stern brown eyes widened for just a second before he closed them. "Yukimura is at Kanai General Hospital. Other than that, it shouldn't be any of your business unless Yukimura considers it so."

An expression of disbelief fell over Matsumoto's face. What would Yukimura be doing at a _hospital?_ Was he involved with an accident of some sort? But, he said nothing more to Sanada, only bowing again.

"Thank you for telling me… I'm sorry if I was a bother. I'll be leaving now."

He then promptly left the classroom, all the while making plans to visit Yukimura after school.

* * *

Matsumoto never liked hospitals.

The scent of foreign chemicals burned his nose, and there was always a feeling of heavy dread and tension hanging around here and there. Although it was usually very lively due to busy doctors and nurses, it was never cheerful in a good way.

The only time Matsumoto had stepped foot into a hospital was when he sprained his ankle after getting his foot caught in a ladder step. Other than that, he tried his best to avoid the eerie places. But for the sake of seeing Yukimura, he swallowed his distaste for the creepy buildings and approached the front desk and requested to see him.

Thankfully, the woman working there was very kind and patient with Matsumoto's quiet nature. Since it was his first time being at a hospital, a spacious hospital at that, by himself, it stirred the anxious part of him. He spoke in short and choppy sentences that were vague, but fortunately she understood every word he spoke.

It wasn't long till a nurse arrived to escort him to Yukimura's room.

"Yukimura-kun, there's a boy that wants to speak with you…" said the nurse as she opened the door, letting Matsumoto shyly stumble in. He stared at the floor the whole time, too embarrassed to look up. After the nurse left, he sat down on a nearby chair, still not looking him in the face.

Yukimura smiled tiredly with a quiet sigh, making note that he had to find _some_ way to rid Matsumoto of that cursed sheepishness as he opened his mouth to speak first, "Ah, Matsumoto-kun. This is the first time you visited me… I thought that Sanada was here. Did you want to speak to me about something? It must be important."

Matsumoto nodded numbly and took off his backpack. He zipped it open and pulled out a bundle of daisies, holding them out to the wide-eyed 2nd-year. He still had his head turned away, in fear that Yukimura would see his incredibly flushed cheeks and tease him about ir.

Yukimura took the flowers from his hands and chuckled heartily. "Thank you. They're cute. Anyways, what is it that you wanted to talk about? I can't see you skipping your precious gardening time just to visit poor little me."

Matsumoto pouted as he met with the tennis player's playful gaze. "I was worried about you… before I knew it, I almost watered the bushes with orange juice. So I asked your friends and they told me you were here… am I not allowed to visit a friend in the hospital?"

Yukimura laughed pleasantly again, and seeing him so cheerful made Matsumoto lighten up just a little as well. As the mood softened, Matsumoto pulled his courage together. He was curious, so he might have well asked the damn question that kept lingering in the back of his mind. "U-Um… Yukimura-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Please excuse my bluntness, but… what are you here for? You _look_ completely healthy to me…" Matsumoto murmured in a tone so faint that only a mouse could possibly be able to hear it. But, Yukimura had heard what he'd asked. He took a long breath, looking up at the ceiling. A few more minutes of silence passed before Matsumoto finally began panicking. "I-I asked an inconsiderate question…! I'm sorry…!"

"No, you didn't…" Yukimura shook his head, "I was just pondering… anyways, to answer your question I was diagnosed with an illness similar to Guillain-Barré syndrome. Do you know what it is?"

Matsumoto shook his head, looking at him with his wide ocean-blue eyes. Yukimura's smile eased and he then said, "Don't worry about it, Matsumoto-kun. I'll be okay, so you shouldn't have worry about me."

"Will you… really be okay?"

"I will…" Yukimura assured, giving Matsumoto his best smile. The gardener still didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the topic. Instead, he turned away and began scratching at the bedside table wordlessly. "… Can I stay here a little longer?"

"Stay for as long as you want, Matsumoto." Yukimura murmured, his smile softening with a sunny day's warmness. "… I don't mind."


	3. The Confession?

Never had Hitoshi Matsumoto ever felt so joyous for no particular reason.

In fact, he was feeling _so_ cheerful he'd even finished all his gardening just moments before evening came around.

His lips curved into a pleased smile as his ocean-eyes skimmed over the rooftop garden, reminiscing over the days that the garden was just barely a garden and he would spend all his afternoons and evenings tending to it. Like a nursery growing popular with parents more plants were gradually added to the small rooftop garden by the other members of the gardening club. Matsumoto didn't mind of course; the more the better!

Of course, after becoming a 3rd-year he gained more hobbies that took his up his free time. He was becoming more interested in art (thanks to a certain Seiichi Yukimura's influence) and he was even beginning to play a little bit of tennis (also thanks to Seiichi Yukimura). Still, gardening had a special place in his deep in his heart.

With a content sigh, he took off his garden gloves and worn-out sun hat, setting them down on the table by the rooftop door. He then picked up a blue hand towel folded neatly next to a box of seeds, wiping his face thoroughly and carefully in the way an old senpai had instructed him to. After patting away the dirt and grime on his uniform he carefully put away all the hand tools he'd used into their proper spots on the work bench and wiped the sweat off his brow, smiling as he turned his gaze towards the orange sky.

"Aah… what a nice evening."

But before he could gather his things and start on his usual trek home from school, a familiar high-pitched melody went off inside his schoolbag. He looked at the bag with wide eyes and set it down. Once he'd zipped it open, he pulled out his noisy cellphone. Rarely anyone called him, so the sudden melody of his cellphone's ringtone going off admittedly startled him.

"Ah… This is…?" he stared at the number before him for a long time, not recognizing the digits. It wasn't until a second later that realization had dawned onto him.

It was Yukimura's number! If Yukimura was calling him…

… then the surgery he was supposed to have that day…

… it must've been a success!

Matsumoto nearly dropped his cellphone out of excitement and quickly flipped it open, answering the call and holding the receiver to his ear. "Yu-Yukimura-kun! Are you okay?! Did the surgery go well?! Are you better?!"

A moment of silence passed by, but a moment later, Matsumoto was able to hear Yukimura chuckle softly on the other line. He probably found Matsumoto's enthusiasm amusing.

"Yes, I'm okay Matsumoto-kun… the surgery was a success. Were you really so worried for me?"

"Of course I was! But… to be honest… today, I felt like something good was going to happen, so I wasn't too anxious. I guess this is the good thing I was feeling." Matsumoto replied sheepishly, scratching his cheek ruefully. Another moment of silence…

"Matsumoto-kun… are you going to be free a few weeks from now? Preferably on Sunday?"

"Huh?" he blinked twice in confusion, "What do you…? I mean, since I don't really do anything over the weekends I suppose I _would _be, but… why are you asking, Yukimura-kun? Shouldn't you be resting after the rehabilitation? It'd be wise not to rush into anything so soon after your recovery…"

"I know, _I know. _But I really want to go somewhere and _do_ something… just lying down and letting time pass by me is making me apprehensive. But I should be fine if we do something peaceful, like going to a botanical garden and gazing at all the lovely flowers." He reasoned, going silent as Matsumoto mused over his words quietly.

_Well… I'd rather have him rest after his surgery… just to be on the safe side, I mean. But I do understand his need to go somewhere outside of home or the hospital._

"Well… don't you want to go on a date with me, Matsumoto-kun?"

"Ah, fine, oka—wait, what? Did you say…_ HUH?! A-A DATE_?!" Matsumoto's cheeks flushed as scarlet as the red sunset and he unconsciously tightened his iron grip on the cell phone.

_Did Yukimura-kun really say… date?! No, it must've been my imagination… I can't hear straight today! Surely, he wouldn't… but what if… aaah, stop getting so worked up over this, Hitoshi!_

Just then, Yukimura chuckled loudly. He laughed for a few minutes before saying, "It was a joke, Matsumoto-kun, a joke. I was just trying to mess with you. You're really cute when you get flustered."

His last comment made didn't help the situation much. Matsumoto's cheeks became twice as red and twice as hot as he struggled not to let Yukimura's teasing get the best of him. "Wh-Whatever. I'll take your invitation anyways. What day do you wanna hang out? When is the best time?"

"Hm… I suppose… well, I suppose August 3rd will have to do."

"August 3rd then." Matsumoto replied with a nod of his head. "I'll see you then."

"Oh, and Matsumoto?"

"Yeah?"

"Dress cute for me, okay?"

"You're not that funny."

* * *

「August 3rd」

* * *

The day of Matsumoto and Yukimura's _"date" _to the botanical gardens came sooner than Matsumoto would've liked it to. It seemed as though it were only yesterday that the blue-haired boy called to make plans.

Although technically he _had_ in fact called again the night before to make plans. He talked on and on about what they were going to be doing and how much fun they would have; in fact, he talked for so long Matsumoto almost _fell asleep_ during his extensive prattling.

Before ending the call, Yukimura reminded Matsumoto to set up his alarm and "dress cute", leaving Matsumoto to spend the entire night tossing and turning in anticipation of what was to come the next day.

So now here Matsumoto was, exhausted with only a few hours of rest and lazily dressed. His shirt was twice his size and the electric blue color of his converse clashed horridly with his knee-length cargo shorts. He was literally the definition of a sleep-walking _disaster._

The time they were supposed to rendezvous at was 8 AM, but to be prepared Matsumoto set his alarm a little earlier, thus leaving the house and arriving to the train station before it was even 7:50. Perhaps it was an awful idea, however, because maybe with an extra hour of sleep he wouldn't be such a zombie.

Matsumoto sat down on a nearby bench and yawned, setting his hands on his knees and massaging them to sooth his jumpy nerves. His legs were trembling from anxiety and his chest became unbearably tight. What if something went wrong? What if he tripped in a crowd and caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for Yukimura?

Matsumoto took in a long breath and let it out as slowly as possible. It seemed to work for the most part, since he could feel his trembling ease to a stop. When he finally settled down, something akin to a human hand rested itself upon his shoulder.

"Ah, you came early… fufu, I guess we were both impatient, huh?"

Matsumoto nearly jumped out of his own skin at the sudden contact. But before he could panic, the soft melodious tone of the stranger's voice finally registered into his head.

He turned around and sure enough, Yukimura was there—his smile as bright as ever. His dark-blue wavy hair bounced when he cocked his head cheerfully at the boy and his grin broadened. The sign of life in Yukimura's shining eyes brought a sense of ease to Matsumoto's stirring heart, and he returned Seiichi's grin. "Yeah… I was so nervous, I barely slept last night."

"Aah… it was the same for me too!" Yukimura replied ruefully, scratching his head in the same manner. "I was feeling a bit nervous, and I'd honestly thought you weren't going to show up. I was scared that you weren't actually going to take me seriously, since I tease you a lot."

Matsumoto, for the first time, chuckled. "I wouldn't do something awful like that. More often than not, _I'm_ usually the one stood up by my friends. Well… acquaintances, to be exact." He admitted as he stared down at his worn-down shoelaces. They were white once upon a time, but were so long that they'd always trail along on the ground collecting dirt and dust.

Yukimura's lips twitched into a sympathetic smile. "That's awful. And I thought I had it rough."

"I-It's nothing, really!" Matsumoto sputtered, "It's not like I really minded or anything! After all, they were probably just messing around, and didn't expect for me to take them so seriously. In the end, I've always been alone to begin with…"

A soft look fell over Yukimura's face before it shifted into a cheerful smile. He leaned down and grabbed Matsumoto by the arm, tugging it in an attempt to pull him from the bench. Matsumoto complied to his gestures and stood up. "Are we leaving now?"

Yukimura nodded. "Mm-hm. I wanna spend as much time with you as possible!" he beamed as he pulled Matsumoto towards the train platform. With a soft sigh Matsumoto sped up to match Yukimura's long strides. A tired smile formed on his lips as he did so.

_You're too kind, Yukimura._

* * *

The botanical gardens that Yukimura wanted to visit were so beautiful they were practically a sin. There were so many different kinds of flowers assorted together, their lovely and fruitful fragrances mixing together into a mild bouquet of flora and romance. Outside, the sky was cloudless and azure while the sun blessed nature with its warmest rays; inside the greenhouses, there were dragonflies speeding about and butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, their vibrant wings flapping lazily.

Matsumoto had never seen anything so aesthetically pleasing to the eye nor smelt anything so satisfying to the nose.

He and Yukimura weren't even done exploring the entire garden yet. There were still many more greenhouses and fields of flora they'd yet to discover. But Matsumoto was so impressed, he didn't want to rush! He wanted to take his time and marvel at everything the gardens had to offer.

"Aah, this is a nice place, isn't it?" asked Yukimura as he strolled along beside the beige-blonde. He gazed at the field opposite from Matsumoto, admiring the variety of bushes. "There were many beautiful flowers here. Some I've never seen before. There were even roses I've never knew about! How interesting! Though, this place could've been even better had they not—hey, are you even listening?"

Yukimura turned his attention towards the boy, but quickly realized he _hadn't_ been listening to his rambles all this time. The beige-blonde was visibly distracted by a bed of daisies nearby, his glossy blue eyes glazed over with bright fascination.

Yukimura looked at him, then at the daisies, then back at him. A smile grew onto his face and he tapped the distracted boy. "Matsumoto-kun! You're not listening to me, are you?"

Matsumoto blinked twice in surprise before abruptly standing erect. An apologetic expression fell over his face as he bowed down numerous times. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so—"

"—There's no need for an apology, Matsumoto-kun. After all, you came with me to these gardens to look at flowers too, didn't you?" Yukimura interrupted coolly, stopping the flustered teen from panicking any further. When Matsumoto finally calmed down, Yukimura took his chance to speak again. "I could see that you were distracted by the daisies they have here. Do you like daisies? You seem to grow them a lot. Also, you always brought me them when you came to visit me in the hospital."

Matsumoto smiled sheepishly. "I love them, yeah… they're my mom's favorite flowers, so they're my favorite too. Even if they're simple and not very appealing to the eyes, I find a strange comfort in them. They're plain but it's their presence that stands out. Do you not like them, Yukimura-kun?"

"Hm…? No, that's not it. I like daisies, but like you said, they're really homespun. Sunflowers, related to daisies since they're both in the Asteraceae family, look similar but are more my type because they come in different colors and all sorts of sizes. To be specific, the taller ones are the kinds I prefer. But everyone holds their own opinion, right?" Yukimura hummed as he strolled further ahead. Matsumoto stood still, however, and observed Yukimura with curious eyes.

_Yukimura-kun likes sunflowers… and I like daisies. He likes sunflowers because they are tall and proud while I prefer daisies because they are plain and modest… like me._

"Matsumoto-kun?"

Matsumoto turned to Yukimura, looking into his navy eyes. "Hm?"

"Let's go sit down somewhere private. I have to tell you something."

"O-Oh… okay. If you want." Matsumoto nodded, following Yukimura. It took some time, but they finally found a nice secluded place near the entrance devoid of people. There, the two boys sat down next to each other on one of the benches, neither one speaking to the other. A cool draft brushed past their cheeks and blew through their hair, sending a chill down Matsumoto's arms. It seemed as though centuries had passed by before Yukimura begun scoot closer to Matsumoto. He'd scooted so close their knees were almost touching. "Did you like this place?"

"Mm…"

"I had fun. Did you?"

"M-Mm…"

"That's good." He murmured, his eyes softening as he continued to speak, "Matsumoto… ever since I met you last year, on the school rooftop… I've been interested in you. You were so modest and innocent it was cute. _Especially_ when you were agitated. Your cheeks would get so red and you stuttered so much… it was incredibly adorable. But not only that…

"You are always so kind and gentle. You worried so much for me, even though we weren't close friends. Yet, despite my condition, you treated me the same way you always did. You never sugar-coated your words and your encouragements were so genuine—I felt as though someone like you didn't deserve to be friends with someone as spiteful as I. Still… you were there, even during my darkest times. No matter what happened, no matter what I've said or did, you kept coming back.

"In my head or in reality, _you kept coming back._ The more you came to see me the more you appeared in my dreams and daydreams. Your ocean eyes… your candid nature… your sincere smiles… everything about you drove me to the brink of insanity. I… oh my goodness, Matsumoto-kun, if only you could know just how passionate these feelings are. Every day they smother me, and become so intensely _wild_ when you are near."

Matsumoto's eyes widened at the sudden confession. Was this… was this really how Yukimura felt towards him? Did he really envision Matsumoto in this glorified way? Was he even aware that compared to rose like him, Matsumoto was only a lowly daisy? The beige-blonde turned his head away, directing his gaze at the red-cement pathway below his feet.

"I…" he began to say, before ultimately shutting his mouth again.

Yukimura sighed and reached out to touch Matsumoto's hand, squeezing it tightly as he leaned closer.

"Matsumoto-kun… please look at me."

Matsumoto reluctantly obeyed, his eyes slowly traveling up from the ground to Yukimura's face. His balled fists loosened and he allowed for Yukimura's fingers to slip between the open spaces.

"… Yes?"

Yukimura smiled. He intertwined their fingers, his grip softening so that he just barely held Matsumoto's hand. "Matsumoto-kun… I want to thank you for befriending with me. If we never met the way we did, I would have never gotten to experience the strange sensation running through me. Do you know what I am talking about?"

"I-I think so…?" Matsumoto stuttered, his eyes blinking rapidly as the blue-haired boy's face inched even closer. He was leaning so close that the distinct scent of his cologne begun to waft across Matsumoto's nose, mixing with the sharp smell of rosemary that drifted from his dark waves. As the smell became stronger pale cupid lips also came closer; they looked so soft and so _kissable._

Matsumoto's heart pounded loudly and quickly and he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around what was currently happening as Yukimura slipped a hand behind his neck, guiding him towards his face.

"Matsumoto…" he mumbled breathily, the allure in his voice lulling Matsumoto into relaxation. Unconsciously, Matsumoto allowed Yukimura to pull him closer, his eyelids fluttering to a near close as their noses begun to touch. Yukimura's minty breath now added to the strong scents sending Matsumoto's head into a daze, and he almost, _almost,_ leaned forward with the guidance of Yukimura's hand. As a soft smile slowly stretched upon Yukimura's lips he softly murmured, _"I like you."_

Yes, Yukimura liked him. He wanted to be with him. Those passionate feelings developed were because of Matsumoto, therefore they would _be_ for Matsumoto. There was nothing but _love_ between them—

Wait.

What?

The reality of the situation had suddenly come to Matsumoto like a slap to the face. With a soft squeal he unintentionally shoved Yukimura and abruptly stood on his feet. His head was still dizzy and those scents hypnotizing him still clung to his clothes, but he at least had enough sense to think again.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry—_what?"_ Matsumoto asked, cocking his head in disbelief. Matsumoto was by no means homophobic; he could've cared less if Yukimura was actually a girl in disguise, but Yukimura—who was so elegant and ethereal, like a deity come to walk the earth and grace the world with his presence—_liked_ Matsumoto? Matsumoto, who was so plain and plain and _plain?_

Yukimura definitely deserved better than Matsumoto. Someone strong and proud—a _sunflower,_ at the very least.

Yukimura stood up as well, stepping closer to the beige-blonde as a serious expression took over what was initially surprise. "I like you. I love you. I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my boyfriend. Is it clear now, my feelings?"

Matsumoto gaped at the blue-haired boy, who was now gradually closing the gap between them with every small step that he took towards the beige-blonde.

"Wait—stop, I…" Matsumoto began, looking around frantically for an escape route.

Yukimura did indeed stop, however, and the earnest expression on his face softened. "You what…?" he murmured, his violet eyes flashing with something analogous to _fear_—at least, that's what it seemed like. "You don't like me? Am I… not good enough?"

"N-No, you're perfect!" Matsumoto nearly shouted, startling both himself and Yukimura. "Y-You're just… you're just… you're _too_ perfect, is all. For someone like y-you to actually like someone like _me,_ it's unbelievable… I'm so plain and not nearly as successful or smart as you. The best thing I've ever done was… nothing. I've done nothing at all. I'm pretty much unworthy of you.

"I know I'm being dramatic, but this is how I really feel… if I were to become your boyfriend, I'd have to compete with other people who are so much more fitting for you, and I don't think I can take that kind of pressure. So… if possible… can you forget about me? Like everyone else…?"

For the longest time, Yukimura stared at him. There was darkness in his narrow eyes, though unidentifiable. Anger? Hatred? Disappointment? Matsumoto couldn't really tell, but if there was one thing he was positive of it was that Yukimura wasn't going to take "no" for an answer, even with Matsumoto's reasoning.

"I-I need to go, right now, I'm sorry—"

"Don't move."

"No, I—"

"Don't. _Move."_ ordered Yukimura in a tone that was low but clear and absolute. It brought a shiver to Matsumoto's spine and froze his body stiff. Slowly, Yukimura approached him, closer closer, until he was close enough to touch him. Once reaching that limit he stopped, lifting his hand and craning his arm towards the beige-blonde, until his pale fingers were brushing the other boy's freckled cheek.

"I—"

"I'm sorry!" Matsumoto suddenly cried out, pushing away Yukimura's hand and spinning on his feet. He'd begun to sprint down the pathway, not caring if Yukimura would give chase, because all that was running through his head was the desire to just _go._ He couldn't be here in this situation any longer.

But while Matsumoto ran Yukimura stayed. He stayed and watched as the boy he'd affection for ran from him, those damn insecurities of his chaining him to a stupid code of modesty.

"… I still like you."


	4. Promises

The next few days weren't getting any better.

After what happened in the botanical gardens, Matsumoto had been purposely avoiding Yukimura at school. Every time he'd catch a glimpse of the tennis player's glossy navy waves, or hear his soft voice from down the hallways, he would immediately speed somewhere far, far away. His heart would pound and throb every time the blue-haired boy's name was even mentioned; memories of his sincere confession would flash before his eyes, sending him into a daze. It was so surreal, but at the end of the day Matsumoto would only realize again that at some point in the near future, Yukimura was going to confront him.

And when that time came, Matsumoto wasn't positive that running was an option anymore.

Before he knew it, nearly an entire week had passed by since that day. He'd somewhat returned to his typical self, since the mention of Yukimura's name didn't trigger any memories. He never ran when he saw Yukimura, and in fact, had begun secretly watching him from afar. During the mornings and afternoons, Matsumoto would hide behind a large tree, watching the tennis club practice. To be specific, he'd watch _Yukimura._ He admired the way he hung his jersey over his broad shoulders like a cape; the way he'd stand so ominously, yet so powerfully; the strength and perseverance in his stance. It all only added to his questions.

_Why… would he like someone like me?_

But it seemed after this week of distance, Yukimura finally came to realize that Matsumoto was right. He wasn't what he seemed, and he definitely wasn't worthy of him. From all the times that Matsumoto had watched him, the blue-haired boy never once looked distressed or upset. He'd always appear so serene and so formidable, as though he wasn't rudely rejected days earlier by the boy of his romantic interest. So once coming to this conclusion, Matsumoto returned to his normal life. He was alone once again, no one to talk with and no one to listen to.

It was bearable.

… At least, for the most part, it was bearable.

Gardening during lunchtime had become a bittersweet task, as it reminded Matsumoto of Yukimura's occasional visits. They had mild conversations about mild things, but the relationship they had was the closest thing Matsumoto had to friendship. But now…

Well, Matsumoto preferred not to think about that part.

It seemed that his old, lonely life was going to return. Like he always did with everything, he accepted it, deciding that there was no point in moping over something that was most likely his fault. So when on this particular evening, after planting his newest edition to the rooftop garden, the sight of Renji Yanagi standing at the bottom of the stairs brought a sense of unease to Matsumoto's stomach.

He wasn't doing anything in particular, simply standing and reading a book. Still, it was obvious he was there for _him._

But before Matsumoto could open his mouth, Renji had already turned his head. Though his eyes were closed he seemed to be acknowledging Matsumoto's presence.

"_'Ah, Yanagi-san... what brings you here?_' is what you were going to say, correct?" Yanagi questioned in a tone that was almost robotic. Matsumoto blinked twice in surprise before unconsciously shifting backwards, fear and confusion slipping into place. "H-How did you know…?"

"It was obvious. Standard human behavior and common sense. But I didn't come here to talk about that, Matsumoto-san. Seiichi has informed us, the tennis club—well, not the _whole_ club just the regulars—of what happened approximately seven days ago." He informed casually, bringing a look of horror and utter dread onto Matsumoto's face. It was as if a _ton_ of rocks just had been dropped onto his scrawny back. It was only moments later that he recollected himself, murmuring as apologetically as possible, "I-I'm sorry... I... if he was hurt, I... I'm really so—"

"Foolish. Seiichi isn't the type to be fazed over something like that. Rather than devastated... I'd say he's more... well, if you come with me, you'll see for yourself." Yanagi explained, taking a small step backward as he gestured for Matstumoto to come down the stairs. Matsumoto gulped. Yukimura wasn't hurt? So then… he must've been really angry, huh?

For a second Matsumoto pondered over whether or not climbing down the school from the rooftop was a safe idea, until Yanagi had suddenly said, "You'll die if you attempt to climb down the school from this height, so it'd be better to follow me than to risk your own life."

Damn.

There went his only escape plan.

Well, this day was going to come anyways, so there was nothing to do anymore. Matsumoto was going to have to face Yukimura sooner or later anyways.

With a deep sigh he shifted the straps of his school bag, gazing at Yanagi with an apt depth of hesitance in his eyes. Then, with another deep breath of air and sigh, he began to descend the stairs, however warily and reluctantly. Once he reached the bottom of the steps he paused before Yanagi.

"… If he wanted to come talk to me, why didn't he just come to me himself?" he asked, his gaze softening. Yanagi simply stared at him with his closed-eyes, not a sign of emotion anywhere. Then—out of nowhere, he _smiled._

"Because if he approached you himself, you would have definitely tried climbing down the building from the rooftop."

* * *

Matsumoto was led to the art room, closely monitored by Yanagi and three more members of the tennis club. The three other boys weren't very familiar to Matsumoto, but he somewhat recognized one of them; he was his classmate, a redhead that was always eating sweets in class. Bunta Marui, wasn't it?

On one side next to Marui was a rather tall and intimidating dark-skinned boy with a shiny, bald head. Not that there was anything wrong with that. He looked foreign and absolutely done with life, but perhaps that was just his default expression. But if he _was_ done with life, then that wasn't any of Matsumoto's business.

On to the other side of Marui was a shorter boy, with thick unruly ebony hair and sharp green eyes. He looked annoyed and constantly side-eyed Matsumoto, as though he were his mortal enemy. Again, perhaps that was just his default expression. Hopefully it wasn't because he was causing him a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Even though Matsumoto would have been fine with just Yanagi accompanying him, the other boys were supposedly there for "extra measures". Perhaps they didn't trust him not to run. He didn't blame them, because if not for them he might've tried to jump out the window.

Once reaching the art room, the black-haired boy opened the door and Yanagi gestured for Matsumoto to go inside. With a small squeak, he turned around, staring longingly at the window.

Statistically speaking, not many people died climbing down from second-story windows.

But soon enough he was grabbed by the arm and practically shoved into the room by the black-haired boy.

"Aaah I just wanna go home, so get in there already!"

_Slam!_

Well.

Perhaps those dirty looks he'd give Matsumoto weren't just his default facial expressions after all.

Matsumoto swallowed back the thick lump in his throat and took a few trying steps forward, his gaze slowly panning up from the floor to where Yukimura sat staring thoughtfully at a blank canvas. He looked so serene, so untroubled. It was hard to believe that he still wanted anything to do with Matsumoto.

With a deep sigh, Matsumoto tilted his head, strands of light-beige hair falling out of place. He stood still like that for a moment, watching Yukimura as he began to trace the canvas with a pencil. He didn't even seem to notice that Matsumoto was in the room with him.

"I…" Matsumoto began before shutting his mouth again. His gaze shifted around the room for a bit, bouncing from unfinished canvas to unfinished canvas and statue to statue. There were numerous easels set up in the room, some with beautifully completed paintings left to dry. It was only when Matsumoto took another step forward that Yukimura spoke up.

"As much as I love tennis, I love art as well. It's such a relaxing hobby and has lovely outcomes. I don't mean to brag, but I can create so many beautiful things here in this room. From sculptures to paintings, there is nothing I cannot do." He prattled, smiling serenely. "I can bring the images in my head to life here; I can do what I whatever I please, whenever I please. I have control… just the way I like it."

"Um… Yukimura-kun." Matsumoto spoke up, hesitantly, "Excuse my interruption, but what exactly does that have to do with me?"

"Tsk tsk, I'm getting there, so don't be impatient Matsumoto." Yukimura quipped playfully, leaning towards the canvas before him and adding more details to his rough sketch. Unfortunately, Matsumoto wasn't in the mood for his usual banter. He frowned and adjusted the straps over his shoulder, turning around and heading for the sliding door.

"No. I understand, Yukimura. You probably don't like me anymore, and I've told you many times before that I am inferior to you. It's okay if you want to spite me, I realize that this is all my fault anyways. I ran from you like a coward, so of course you'd be angry. I didn't reach your expectations, so I understand." Matsumoto babbled, not noticing the forming tears that begun to blur the edges of his vision. "I wasn't as wonderful as you thought I was, so I'll just go now."

But before he could even pull the door open, the loud screeching of a stool against the tile floor took his attention.

_"Matsumoto!"_ Yukimura cried—the desperation and anger in his voice surprising Matsumoto. He turned around and sure enough, there was Yukimura, his stool fallen and his pencil abandoned. His hands were balled into tight, trembling fists and his chest visibly rose up and down with every heavy breath that he took. His violet eyes were dark but not dangerous, despite the sharp glare on his face. His lips were pursed into a tight thin line and his cheeks grew flushed with frustration. Amusingly, he wasn't one-bit intimidating.

Perhaps it was because of the obvious despair around him that Matsumoto realized Yukimura wasn't teasing him to be spiteful.

"… Matsumoto." He repeated again, this time softly. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

Matsumoto gazed at Yukimura for the longest time, unblinking. He thought of how to answer, and what he could say. But all that came to his head was more questions. And before he knew it, one particular question that'd been stuck repeating in his head for weeks slipped from his tongue before he could stop himself.

"Why do you like me so much?"

"Why do I…?" Yukimura began, his voice trailing off. With a slight mocking smile, he said, "You already _know_ why I like you."

"No! I don't! I don't know!" Matsumoto nearly shouted, gripping the straps to his schoolbag so tightly his hands were starting to shake. "There's nothing about me that is remotely interesting! I'm boring, my social life is nonexistent, my looks are foreign but unappealing, and there's literally nothing to me that stands out!"

Immediate silence soon followed after Matsumoto's rant, giving both Matsumoto and Yukimura some time, albeit, little time, to fume over their frustrations towards each other. They glared fiercely at one another; not once before in their lives had they felt so _aggravated_ towards another person. For the stupidest reasons, at that.

Once Matsumoto's heavy heartbeats eased into a calmer pattern, his scowl softened into a pout (an adorable pout, Yukimura had to admit).

"… I-I like you too, Yukimura," he murmured, "But how can I be sure that you aren't just going to dump me the moment someone else better than me comes along? Someone who's actually pretty, confident, and strong? Because… I don't want to be forgotten again."

Yukimura's glare eased as well, until there was a tired smile replacing the glower that'd previously been on his face. "… I don't know how I can prove my feelings to you without you first accepting my confession, Matsumoto-kun. I've told you, over and over, I like you. All I ask is that now; please answer me… if yes, I promise you, I would _never_ leave you for someone else. If no…" his voice faltered for a second and the light in his eyes flickered, "If no, then I won't bring this up ever again. I'll be fine with just being friends. Just don't push me away again."

Matsumoto stared at him, his ocean-eyes wide and the sclera pinkish, the tears pricking his eyes having not left yet. He blinked back the tears as he bit his lips, trying not to show weakness.

"… So… it's fine if we… go out? Y-You're really fine with… someone like me?"

Yukimura practically ran to Matsumoto, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing him tightly. He nuzzled his nose against Matsumoto's heated neck and let out a mellow chuckle, his breaths tickling the nerves there and making the beige-blonde squirm.

"Silly boy, haven't I been saying that all this time?"

"Ah…" Matsumoto hesitantly lifted his arms, awkwardly returning Yukimura's hug before letting his arms fall again. "Then does this mean that… we're…? I'm your… boyfriend?"

Yukimura laughed again.

"Do you want to be more?"

"N-No! I mean… yes?"

"Fufu, I was only teasing you." Yukimura grinned as he slipped their hands together, intertwining their fingers. His head still rested against Matsumoto's shoulder as he sighed quietly. "… Aah, so I can finally call you mine."

"M-Mm…"

"However... let me tell you one thing, Hitoshi-kun. Run and hide from me again and I will not hesitate to punish you."

"R-Right…!"


	5. Outcome

"However… Let me tell you one thing, Hitoshi-kun. Run and hide from me again and I will not hesitate to punish you."

"R-Right…!"

Matsumoto froze in Yukimura's arms, feeling a sudden chill ungraciously rush down his spine. Nervously, he looked up at Yukimura, who was smiling lovingly at him. Still, there was a hint of something like sadism buried deep in his serene expression. Oh goodness, with a smile like that, Matsumoto was only predicting chaos in the near future. He gulped and forced a weak smile, realizing in that very moment that Seiichi had a side to him that only those close to him were doomed to see.

Why oh _why_ had Matsumoto gotten fooled by this demigod's divine beauty? He was crueler than a devil in disguise!

The beige-blonde sighed under his breath as he rubbed his nose against the dark navy waves of his boyfriend, the faint rosemary scent still somehow intoxicating him till he was positive he couldn't think of anything else. "But I guess I still like you…" he murmured to softly to himself, momentarily forgetting that Seiichi was close enough to hear the words uttered.

The bluenet chuckled and let go of Matsumoto's hands, instead tightly wrapping his arms around the boy's body and squeezing the life out of him. Matsumoto squeaked and tried to pull… if not for the fact that he _couldn't._ Yukimura (cruelly) laughed again as the boy attempted to escape from his arms a second time, still failing.

"Yu-Yukimura! Stop! I'm gonna die!" cried the beige-blonde as he pulled miserably at the other boy's arms, flailing every time he grew too frustrated. Eventually his strength drained to the point where he couldn't even open his mouth, and was left to finally give in. He rested his head against the warmth of Yukimura's chest, listening to the dull beats of his drumming heart. With a weak smile thought back to how this dramatic outcome could have been avoided had he simply accepted allowed Yukimura to kiss him back at the botanical gardens.

Yukimura chuckled breathily and he combed his fingers through Matsumoto's soft beige hair, loving the way Matsumoto would unconsciously lean toward his fingers—sort of like a rabbit would during a petting session. He chuckled at the comparison.

"…Yukimura?"

"Hm?"

"Can you take me home?" the beige-blonde murmured tiredly, pulling away from him and rubbing his drooping eyes. He looked exhausted—well, of course he'd be, since he was probably stressed to the point where he'd even lost sleep over his guilt. Yukimura smiled softly and kissed the top of Matsumoto's head.

"Yeah. Make sure you have plenty of sleep tonight."

Matsumoto only replied with a tired grin.


	6. One Seiichi is enough!

The first thought that always came to Matsumoto's mind when he watched Rikkai's tennis club practice was… intense.

It was just _intense._

Rikkai's tennis club practiced like a military with Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi standing at the very top. After all, the three of them _were_ the Three Demons of Rikkai.

Sanada barked orders vociferously at the 1st-years while Yukimura stood idly next to him, observing the club members train with his usual forbidding expression. He always looked so _cool_ during practice—it really should've be a sin. Yanagi walked around with notebook in hand, helping various people here and there and jotting down something into his notebook every few seconds.

Matsumoto just couldn't help but stare at them! It was almost unsurprising that Rikkai won Nationals two times in a row, because they trained with such vigor every day.

"Ah, you came to watch us practice, Hitoshi-kun? I'm glad!"

Matsumoto blinked twice in surprise before turning around to see… Yukimura! He was wearing his tennis uniform, his Rikkai jacket propped over his shoulders like a cape. He smiled cheerfully and waved at him. A light blush colored his cheeks as he waved and smiled back.

"Yeah, you guys are amazi—wait…"

_Wasn't Seiichi-kun on the court with Sanada-san? He couldn't have made it from his distance to here so quickly… nor make it from there to here without me noticing… so then…?_

He continued to stare at Yukimura with a strange expression before whipping his head back towards the court. Sure enough, Yukimura was still standing there, arms folded and everything. It was obvious that he did not take one step from his spot next to Sanada.

Matsumoto's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned his attention back to the Yukimura behind him—who was still smiling angelically. It was like he was oblivious to the fact that there was another Yukimura on the court!

Matsumoto blinked several times in utter shock and he looked back and forth between the Yukimura behind him and the Yukimura on the courts, becoming overwhelmed with confusion and fear.

"E-Eeeeh?! Why is there…?! What is…?! Th-There's two Seiichis'!" he sputtered. The Yukimura closest to him cocked his head in confusion. "Hm? Are you okay, Hitoshi-kun?"

"N-No… way…" Matsumoto gasped, and before he knew it, he blacked out.

* * *

_U-Urgh… what happened…? Am I still…? I don't want to wake up yet, I'm still so tired… but I have gardening to do… wait, wasn't I…? Yeah, I was watching the tennis club practice… and then… aaaah!_

Matsumoto's eyes shot open and he abruptly sat up. When he blinked his blurry vision to clarity, he looked around and found that he had been sleeping on the hill near the tennis courts. Everyone was still practicing like nothing happened.

_So… was it all a dream…? When did I fall asleep? I was so sure there was two Seiichis'…_

"Ah, you're up, Hitoshi-kun?"

Matsumoto _froze._ Slowly, he turned his head, the image of Yukimura sitting next to him gradually panning into his vision. He flinched and nearly screamed, but managed to stop himself when he clasped both hands tightly over his mouth. He stared at Yukimura with wide, cautious eyes as he released his mouth—immensely suspicious of the smiling boy before him. Yukimura blinked and made a hurt expression. "Why do you look so nervous to see me? I thought you liked me."

Matsumoto swallowed back the lump in his throat and sighed. "S-Sorry… earlier, I thought I saw two of you… I must've been dreaming or something."

Yukimura continued to stare at him for the longest time—at least, until he broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. As he laughed, it was Matsumoto's turn to give him a hurt expression. He then frowned, a blush creeping onto his freckled cheeks. "I-I knew I shouldn't have t-told you!" he cried out as he vehemently turned his head away, folding his arms and crossing his legs like an upset child.

"N-No… it's not that, Hitoshi-kun…" Yukimura managed to say, his laughter slowing to a stop. When Matsumoto still refused to look at him, Yukimura reached cupped his cheek with one hand and angled his head towards the tennis court. Matsumoto squinted and cocked his head confusingly. "What? What is it?"

"Do you see the long light-blue haired boy over there on the courts? The one playing a match against the one wearing glasses?" he asked, and Matsumoto looked to where he was pointing. When he saw a light blue-haired boy with spiky hair and a stray ponytail, his eyes widened and he immediately recognized him. "Oooh! That's Niou Masaharu! He's in my class!"

"Yeah, he already told me that. I didn't know you'd recognize him though… so do you already know what he can do?" asked Yukimura, looking at him with a smile. Matsumoto shook his head. "I barely know anyone in the tennis club besides you."

"Well, just to clear things up, _he's_ the one who tricked you. He used his Illusions ability and made himself look like me so he could mess with you. You're so gullible, Hitoshi-kun…" Yukimura chuckled, making Matsumoto blush in embarrassment. He sighed under his breath and scratched the top of his head. "Ah… so now I have to be wary of him too…?"

"But you know… it might be fun to have him turn into me and mess with you."

"Sei-Seiichi-kun…! Please don't do something like that…!" Matsumoto exclaimed, ocean eyes pleading. Yukimura laughed again and brushed a hand through Matsumoto's light-beige hair, his long fingers scratching at his scalp. "What _would _you do if there were two of me? Would that make you happy?"

"One… _one_ Seiichi is enough…" Matsumoto sighed, "If there were two of you, surely you'd both shamelessly conquer the tennis world, and _surely_ you'd both tease me until I'm permanently red."

"That… doesn't sound quite bad."

"Seiichi!"


	7. Studying with Rikkai's Tennis Team! P1

a/n:

I'm sorry you guys, I didn't notice this until later, but I screwed up. AGAIN.

I don't know what happened, but for some reason I never posted the rewrite of this chapter? I don't know. But don't worry, I plan to get the right chapter up sometime soon. Again, I apologize.

For now, just skip to Part 2 and Part 3.


	8. Studying with Rikkai's Tennis Team! P2

**Thank you readers for your reviews/faves/follows! I really feel encouraged, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! **

* * *

Getting to the public library didn't take quite as long as Matsumoto thought it would. The group of nine successfully found a rather comfy spot by a large window with even enough chairs, and then they settled down. Not for quite long, though... in less than a minute, Marui had dragged Jackal off to the non-fiction shelves so that they could find books with 'funny stuff' in it. Jackal kept refusing, but he was taken against his will anyways. Then there was no doubt that Niou would wreak havoc by impersonating a library aide, and he would definitely find a way to screw up study for Kirihara and Matsumoto. In an effort to somehow stop this from happening, Yagyuu was assigned to keep watch on Niou as the trickster "explored" the library. The only people whom had stayed behind were now Matsumoto, Kirihara (Sanada had threatened to tape the poor 2nd-Year onto his chair with his grip tape if he _dared_ get up to join the others), Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi. Kirihara grumbled something along the lines of, 'All the fun people are gone', but none the less, they got straight to studying. Yanagi sat by the window, with Kirihara to his left. And next to Kirihara was Sanada. On the other side of the table by the window was Matsumoto while Yukimura sat next to him on his right.

As it turned out for Matsumoto, it seemed that the Rikkai tennis regulars didn't just come to help Kirihara study only. The whole thing was also some 'team bonding' idea Yukimura had come up with to help everyone get closer to each other than they already were. Matsumoto couldn't help but feel that taking his team to the_ library_ of all places was the worst idea ever, but of course, he didn't voice it.

"Since you both are in different years, Hitoshi-kun, don't you have a more advanced English class than Akaya?" Yukimura asked, staring at him. Matsumoto nodded, looking at the homework that Kirihara had set onto the table. The homework Kirihara had to do wasn't too hard, it was simply copying English sentences. But still, writing in English was much different than writing in Kanji, what the Japanese boys were obviously more used to. Matsumoto turned to his own bag and pulled out his English dictionary, turning to a random page. He then pulled out his English notebook, flipping to the page he was to study.

"Your notes are so neat and organized, Hitoshi-kun... I wonder how you find it so hard to study from them. Unlike _**Akaya's**_, who's notes are messy... And before Sanada says it, filled with Kanji mistakes." Yukimura smiled, peering at the English notes in Matsumoto's notebook before glancing at the now red-faced Kirihara's notebook. Sanada nodded in obvious agreement, folding his arms. Matsumoto only smiled back at Yukimura sheepishly, looking down at his hands with the same expression. "Just because I take good notes doesn't mean I understand them... it's really hard to try to get the gist of English grammar and pronunciation. There are so many English words with so many different pronunciations, it just confuses me! I don't know how native English-speakers just learn so easily..."

"Maybe because English is native in their land, just as how Japanese is in ours." Yukimura hummed in response, leaning against the table with his head in his hand. Of course, Matsumoto already knew the answer to his own question, but didn't comment on Yukimura's response since he wasn't the most snarky of teenagers around the same age as him. Matsumoto released a subtle sigh and picked up his pencil, biting the white eraser at the end with a troubled expression. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his ocean-blue eyes were squinted as he stared at the notebook, as though just reading his notes over and over would magically help him understand it. Of course, it didn't. It only served to waste time and somehow get him even _more_ confused than before.

Matsumoto tried listening to the advice Yanagi was giving to Kirihara, but that was an entirely different topic of English than what he was studying, so he had to block them out. He pondered over asking Yukimura or Sanada some questions on the pronunciation of the letters, but... he wasn't quite sure how patient the two boys were. Yukimura was so peaceful, and the two may have been dating, but Matsumoto wasn't willing to find out what the limit of his tolerance was. Then Sanada was so strict, his presence was just a little too intense for Matsumoto. Matsumoto sighed, and scratched at his head, practically glaring at his notebook. Or... at least he thought he was glaring. He had never glared in his life.

"Hitoshi-kun, I have to go to the restroom for a bit, will you accompany me?"

Yukimura's sudden question stunned Matsumoto for a bit. It took a minute for him to process what he had just asked, and when the question registered clearly in his head, his cheeks flushed. He didn't know how to answer that. But then Yukimura just got up out of his chair, grabbing Matsumoto's wrist and dragging him along with the most amiable of smiles, as if Matsumoto totally wasn't about to faint from embarrassment and the three Rikkai tennis regulars at the table totally weren't giving them weird stares. When the two had reached the restroom, Yukimura pushed him inside. Matsumoto stumbled a bit, and gave Yukimura a flustered expression. "Sei-Seichii! What are you...?!"

But, Yukimura gave him no time to speak. He immediately pushed him against the wall as he smiled like an innocent child who did no harm. Before Matsumoto could sputter out questions, Yukimura propped an arm against the wall, as if to cage the blushing male. He then used his free hand to hush Matsumoto, a pale finger to Matsumoto's lips. His eyes displayed no form of sadism, but the glint in them weren't exactly safe either. Then, he smiled that same honey-sweet smile that Matsumoto fell in love with. "... You have _no _idea how cute you look when you're focused."

That smile alone made Matsumoto's legs turn into jelly. He almost fell to the ground, if not for Yukimura immediately catching him. He pushed Matsumoto further up the wall, pressing against the boy's body with his own. And even though Matsumoto had promptly shut his eyes tightly, he could feel Yukimura's warm, minty breath against his lips. He tightened his grip on Yukimura's shoulders, he legs almost ready to give in. But, Yukimura's strong hold against him kept him up on the wall.

"Hitoshi, open your eyes. Look at me."

Matsumoto hesitated, then obeyed. He opened his eyes and looked into navy-blue eyes filled with sheer love. Yukimura smiled, leaning up and kissing Matsumoto sweetly. Matsumoto could feel the redness leave his face as he grew into the kiss, letting his tongue peek out in curiosity. He made a small lick at Yukimura's lips, tasting the sweet-but-subtle flavor of cherry lip balm on those soft lips. Yukimura chuckled in amusement. He pulled away from him reluctantly, all the while making sure that the boy didn't promptly fall to the floor. When Matsumoto regained his composure, he straightened out his crumpled dress shirt, and struggled to keep his face natural.

"You're so adorable. But, we can't stay here long..." Yukimura murmured almost regretfully, and then reached for Matsumoto's hand. Pulling him along, he smiled at the quiet teenager cheerfully. "I took away some of your study time, sorry... did you mind?"

"Not at all..."


	9. Studying with Rikkai's Tennis Team! P3

Studying at the library with Rikkai's tennis team was… odd. They were all oddballs of sorts.

Such as when Matsumoto had asked who he believed was Yanagi how to pronounce 'character', after a few minutes of teasing him on his Japanese accent, "Yanagi" was revealed to be Niou in disguise. At the time, Yanagi was actually looking through the library shelves for any helpful material.

Matsumoto had also learned that Marui wasn't… er, the most _helpful_ of the tennis players. Despite being the self-acclaimed 'Genius' of Rikkai, he wasn't exactly the biggest _genius _when it came to English grammar. Though, Matsumoto had to admit Marui's bubbly personality allowed him to loosen up a little bit. He wasn't quite as intimidating before when they first met, when he had accompanied Yanagi in leading him to the art class a week prior. Along with Marui, Kirihara also wasn't as intimidating as he seemed. He was actually friendly and idiotic to the point of adorableness; Matsumoto couldn't help but come to like him.

He was still wary of the teenager though, since Marui had told him he could go from nice to intensely savage in a millisecond.

Then there was Sanada, who was strict and acute to the point where Matsumoto couldn't focus with him around. Somehow, he managed, but it was still really hard to get work done when the vice-captain of the tennis club was looming over his shoulder. Yanagi on the other hand was a little more laid-back, with his closed-eyes and smooth, tranquil voice. But he always spoke in such complex sentences; Matsumoto could barely understand his words.

Thankfully, Yagyuu and Jackal were the most helpful of their teammates. They were friendly, polite, and didn't quite make Matsumoto as nervous as Sanada made him (even though Matsumoto felt extremely tempted to ask Jackal why he was bald). But, the oddest of them all was of course Yukimura. In… a _few_ ways. Matsumoto couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Yukimura always gave him a sense of oddity.

Despite being the gardener's boyfriend, Yukimura didn't at all help him. He just sat in his chair, watching the teenager study with a small smile. Every now and then he would brush a bit of hair out of Matsumoto's face, then return to just watching him study. Matsumoto didn't mind, either.

For the most part.

When those navy-eyes were on him, his heart always beat its rhythmic pattern a little faster than he wanted it to. He was always positive that his heated cheeks were obviously red, but Matsumoto somehow managed to not catch the regulars' attention. At least Yukimura didn't distract him to the point of study disruption.

Matsumoto continued to study quietly as the tennis regulars took turns helping him on a few questions, and eventually, the time to go home came. After a few more minutes of teasing Matsumoto's modesty and accent, Niou finally left home with Yagyuu.

Then Marui, Kirihara, and Jackal went out to spend a little more time at the arcades (despite Sanada's lecture on how they should be studying or doing something productive). That left Matsumoto to walk home with Yukimura, Sanada, and Yanagi. Matsumoto didn't mind not being in their conversation, but he felt just a bit… off.

Like he didn't belong.

Walking home with the trio was akin to walking beside powerful giants. At one point, Matsumoto felt his presence just completely fade against theirs.

_They're always so cool… even if they aren't playing tennis._

Matsumoto sighed to himself and looked at his watch, thankful that too much time hadn't gone by. He would be home by 10:30—that is, if he walked fast. If he could get home at that time, he could probably still have some few minutes left to study before he'd have to recede to bed.

Matsumoto tapped Yukimura's shoulder and pointed at his watch. "I'm going to walk ahead. I want to get home as soon as possible, so I can cram in a little more study. I'll get an A on that test for sure, Seiichi-kun! Thanks for the help!"

He quickly pecked Yukimura's cheek and sped off in the direction of his house.

When he had left around the corner, Yukimura raised a hand to his cheek, brushing the area of skin that Matsumoto's lips touched. His mouth curved into a small smile and he turned to Sanada and Yanagi. "He's so adorable, isn't he?"

Sanada and Yanagi exchanged looks, both admittedly a little nervous about how they should answer.

"Y-Yes… he is…"

"I agree…"

Yukimura only chuckled, continuing to walk.

"Let's hurry on home too."


	10. Absolutely Scandalous! Part 1

On one fine summer day, Hitoshi Matsumoto was caught socializing with another boy at the front of the school—a mysterious, unfamiliar boy.

His _friend_ appeared to be the same age as him, with similar hair only a few tones darker than Matsumoto's light-beige hair—additionally, he was a couple inches taller than the beige-blonde as well. They seemed to be in the middle of a casual conversation, though it could have passed off as flirting since both boys were unusually blushing and giggly. The strange part, though, was the fact that the boy didn't seem to attend Rikkaidai. In fact, he wasn't wearing a uniform from any school at all. His attire was rather casual.

After a few more minutes of talking_-but-could-be-flirting,_ the mysterious boy finally turned around and left, waving good-bye to Matsumoto—who started making his way to the school doors, waving goodbye as well. The witnesses of this event?

2nd-year Kirihara Akaya, 3rd-year Marui Bunta and 3rd-year Jackal Kuwahara.

All three were walking to school together when they same across this... _scandalous_ scene.

The first to react was Kirihara, as he started coming to conclusion after conclusion after conclusion. The second to react was Marui, who was slightly panicking and attempting to debunk Kirihara's outrageous theories. Jackal, who was the most composed of the three, set his hand on both their shoulders to gain their attention. When their eyes were on him, he said, "Don't start making up rumors. After all, this could just be a friend of his."

Kirihara and Marui exchanged looks, and then both nodded in agreement.

Yes, after all, it _could_ just be a friend of his.

They didn't tell anyone else about what they saw that morning, and all three agreed they didn't have to tell anyone else. _Especially_ Yukimura.

Later on that school day though, when Yukimura would usually come and join the walk home, dragging Matsumoto along with him, this day he didn't. From what Yukimura had told them, Matsumoto was already gone. He wasn't anywhere else in the school either, so he'd thought that the boy probably went home by himself (much to the captain's disappointment).

In that moment Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal exchanged looks of alarm and surprise. Perhaps he had gone home with Mr. Mysterious?

Marui had immediately pulled Kirihara and Jackal off by their elbows, making the excuse that they were going to go to some arcade and play some games. Once they were far enough from the others, Kirihara quietly exclaimed, "Is Matsumoto-san cheating on Yukimura-buchou?!"

"No way! He can't be!" Marui shot back, his deep-purple eyes wide with disbelief. "He doesn't seem like the type to cheat on _anyone!_ No matter who it is! Besides, he's too modest for that kind of stuff... right?"

"Well... I mean, didn't we all think that the captain was nice at first? But then of course, he has a more... 'dark' side to him. So, there's a chance Matsumoto-san has a 'dark' side to him too. But I'm not saying that he's cheating on the captain either! Because remember, after all, this _may_ just be a friend of his." Jackal added in thoughtfully, and all three regulars stopped in their steps, thinking.

Jackal's words _had_ to be right. Matsumoto couldn't possibly cheat on Yukimura... would he?

After a moment of silence, the three sighed in exasperation and exchanged worried looks. No words were said as they mentally reached a consensus. This was stupid, and they shouldn't worry about it so much. Because in the end, what would people think if three of the Rikkaidai tennis club regulars were ripping themselves over some scandalous situation? It wasn't like Matsumoto was _their_ boyfriend (not that they'd ever date a guy to begin with), so why bother getting so agitated?

... Perhaps because it was the sole fact that Matsumoto was their **_captain's_** boyfriend.

Either way, he couldn't say that he minded.


	11. Absolutely Scandalous! Part 2

There seemed to be something up with Matsumoto.

At least, that was what Yukimura seemed to be thinking.

Lately, for the past couple of days, his boyfriend hadn't been very interested in seeing him. He would disappear during lunch and leave right after school ended. It was strange because Matsumoto, from what Yukimura knew, didn't have any other after-school activities or any close friends outside of the tennis club.

Another unusual thing he had picked up on was that recently, Matsumoto had been checking his phone more often. And _usually_... Matsumoto was _never_ on his phone. Yukimura wasn't the type of person to pry into anyone's business, but in this case, he couldn't help but _want_ to know what the fellow 3rd-year could be doing on that cellular device that was making him smile so much. And in addition, around the same time he started to notice Matsumoto's behavior, he also began to notice Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal were acting strange as well.

The way that they never seemed to make eye contact with him anymore, their edgy movements, and how they talked so little around him. Something was going on... or maybe he was just tired and over-analyzing things.

That was what Yukimura always told himself, convincing himself that nothing suspicious was really happening. He was a naturally calm individual, nothing really made him nervous or panic. And besides, what would those three—Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal—have to do with Matsumoto? They were acquaintances yes, but rarely spoke with each other.

So of course it would be rubbish to be think that they were involved with _anything _going on with Matsumoto... if Matsumoto was even involved in anything. Matsumoto was too detached, too quiet. He would _never_ be the type to cheat.

At least... that's what he told himself before he saw _his_ boyfriend being lifted up by _another_ boy, blushing madly the way he always did when Yukimura touched him.

That evening, Yukimura had been walking home alone after Sanada and Yanagi departed. It was another day where Matsumoto had left before him.

His first thought was, _"It's just a friend"._

His second thought was, _"A really **friendly** friend."_

And his third thought was, _"A really friendly friend who **likes to touch other people's boyfriends."**_

He promptly began to pace towards the duo with the idea of confronting Matsumoto, and depending on the situation he'd decide what to do next.

But as he begun approaching the boys, his legs abruptly stopped in motion without warning. He just… couldn't move. He didn't want to move. For a long time, he watched Matsumoto as he smiled and playfully punched the boy next to him, not ever realizing that Yukimura was only a few feet away, watching in silent jealousy.

And he would continue to watch, until Matsumoto and his friend turned a corner and disappeared from his line of sight.

This guy…

He was just a friend...

... Just a friend.

Yukimura stared at his shoes, as though that would somehow help him reach an answer. Then after a long silence, he continued on his way home.

He would confront Matsumoto about it the next day at school, if he was up at the rooftop during lunch like he always was. He trusted that Matsumoto would answer honestly, and he also had full belief that Matsumoto would _never_ be unfaithful.

But even with those calming thoughts in his mind, the image of Matsumoto being lifted by someone else was burned deep into his memory.

* * *

Morning practice went normally, with no distractions.

Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal were acting even more estranged than the previous days they had been, but Yukimura paid them no mind.

Though Niou was starting to behave a little oddly as well, nowadays—as though he had something he wanted to say but couldn't find the correct words needed to say it.

When Yukimura approached Niou, tapping his shoulders and asking him if he was okay with a friendly smile, Niou had a pondering expression. He took a long minute to finally reply, "Yeah" before walking off and continuing his swing practice.

Yukimura stared extensively at the prankster with a curious—but doubtful—expression before turning away to look at Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal.

He was rather tired of all this business, so he would have to see to them later, after the end of evening practice.

* * *

The rest of the day went on smoothly for Yukimura, other than the fact that he couldn't find Matsumoto _anywhere _(Matsumoto did once tell him about an upcoming flower show that the gardening club was going to see).

Once classes and evening practice ended, in the locker rooms, Yukimura dismissed everyone but the four regulars he planned to talk to.

They sat on the benches, all except for Niou, who was standing against the lockers with folded arms. After a moment of tense silence, Yukimura spoke first. "So I noticed that the four of you have been... rather _quiet,_ recently. In fact, abnormally quiet—specifically, abnormally quiet around _me._ Have I done anything questionable?"

"N-No! Of course not, captain!" Jackal exclaimed, wildly waving his hands to further express his honesty. Yukimura smiled. "So then, tell me, why has your behavior gotten so odd? Are you implying that I don't know my teammates well enough to know that something is up, Jackal?"

"No... we're just... you see..." Jackal sent a look towards Kirihara and Marui, as though he were asking for help.

The two exchanged looks with each other, a mental argument of who should speak next raging between the facial expressions sent to each other. Before Yukimura could choose to pick which of the boys were to speak up, in a surprising turn of events, Niou spoke up in their place.

"Captain, the truth is, I saw Matsumoto-san hanging around a store with another guy. They seemed to be having fun, so I wasn't sure if I should tell you or not."

"Wait, did he have messy-curly hair like Matsumoto's hair except it was a little darker?! And he was just a little taller than him, but kinda looked scrawny like him too?!" hollered Kirihara, his emerald-green eyes with shock. Even though it was possible that Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious could have been twins, there was the obvious fact that no one had ever seen or heard of him. And if Matsumoto had a twin, surely he'd tell Yukimura.

Niou nodded in reply to Kirihara's question, "What, you saw those two together too?"

"Yeah! The first time, they were at the front of the school talking. Then the second time, we saw them at an antiques store together while me, Marui-senpai, and Jackal-senpai were walking home from the arcades!" Kirihara exclaimed, and turned to look at Yukimura. Yukimura folded his arms, and he forced a smile. But, no words would come out. He didn't speak for a long time as he listened to the exchange of whispers between the three regulars.

Instead of joining the hushed conversation going on between the others, Niou walked over to Yukimura, elbowing him with a teasing smirk, "What's up, captain? You worried that Matsumoto-san's cheatin' on you?"

Yukimura glanced at him for a moment, the deepness in his violet eyes surprising Niou.

"... Perhaps." He replied softly, smiling melancholically. "You are dismissed. Hurry on home before your parents get worried."

And even though those words had come out of his own mouth, it seemed as though _Yukimura_ was the one hurrying on home.


	12. Absolutely Scandalous! Part 3

When a free day—Sunday—came around, Rikkaidai's tennis club's most Troublesome Trioä (respectively Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal) made it their obligation to track down Matsumoto and find proof of whether he was being unfaithful or not.

Recently, they'd witnessed a rare side to their captain they had only seen once before—when he was hospitalized because of his illness. The look of hurt and vulnerability on their captain's face the evening he held them back after practice, it sparked emotions that usually weren't on fire unless it was during a tennis match. Only Niou chose not to come, due to the fact he had a family gathering that day.

So now here they were, after spending their entire morning running around the city, they finally found Matsumoto and his may-or-may-not-be-friend at the station boarding the train together.

They appeared to be talking about something, but the trio didn't want to get too close in fear that Matsumoto would notice them through their disguises.

After all, they didn't have the most... _common_ of looks. But even if Kirihara had to risk his life to straighten out his unruly hair (it took several long hours and a shit ton of hair gel), Marui had to put on a hat, and Jackal had to wear a wig, at least they didn't stand out.

After an eternity of just watching the two stand and talk, they finally witnessed Mr. Mysterious run his hand through Matsumoto's bangs. He seemed to be fixing them, and when he was done, Matsumoto just smiled and continued talking.

The trio exchanged looks, but it still wasn't _enough_ proof to prove infidelity. After all, it wasn't like fixing someone's hair wasn't limited to only significant others. Not to mention, both Yanagi and Yukimura had been seen fixing Sanada's hair numerous times before, but they weren't in any kind of relationship. So, the trio just sighed and leaned back in their seats. They would have to watch for a little while longer.

Deep in their heads they knew this was a silly mission and all three knew that Sanada would 'Tarundoru' the hell out of them if he found out about it, but this was for the sake of their captain, damn it! If they had to do something stupid such as watch two people walk around town wasting time, then so be it!

There was then an unspoken consensus between the trio that none would leave before getting evidence. And from what they observed during their time on the train, ten minutes it had been, the evidence was going to be **_scarce_**.

"They don't seem to be doing anything... _suspicious_, yet." Marui murmured, blowing a bubble.

"Yeah, they don't... they're just talking." Kirihara added in, as if it weren't obvious enough. He looked up at their targets from the book in his hands (unbeknownst to him the book was upside down). Jackal nodded in agreement, but still... they couldn't leave until one of the two persons in question did. A few more minutes on the train, it finally came to a stop and the duo got off (the trio following a few feet behind them, of course).

As they walked for some distance, the trio quickly learned that tailing people in disguises was not as easy as it was in the movies. Kirihara kept bumping into people and Jackal's wig was starting to slip off. Additionally, Marui couldn't blow his bubbles, and that alone made his mood drop considerably.

Eventually, the trio followed the two teenagers inside a mall. Thankfully inside there, they didn't need to stick so close to the crowds. The problem _now_ though was that they could easily lose Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious.

They would have to be extra careful... to not be distracted by all the other things around them. Jackal was no problem, he had wonderful concentration. Kirihara strayed every once and a while and blurted things a little too loudly sometimes, but otherwise never became distracted for too long. Marui, though... Marui was slowly becoming hungrier the longer they tagged Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious. It also didn't help the situation much when they seemed to be passing by more and more bakeries.

"Yooouu guuuys... I'm getting seriously hungry," Marui whined softly, falling behind the other two regulars a few steps. Jackal sighed and turned to Marui with a weary look. "You'll have to cope with it, Marui. If you lose us, then you'll be lost here. And we can't afford to lose _them_."

"Yeah, I _know_ that... bu—oh my gods, is that a _LINGERIE_ store?" Marui immediately cut himself off when he happened to look up and see that Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious were indeed standing in front of a store filled with women's undergarments. Matsumoto was as red as a tomato and Mr. Mysterious was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.

Marui couldn't blame Matsumoto though, because he and Jackal were just as red. Kirihara, thankfully, hadn't noticed where the teenagers were yet. He temporarily lost sight of them when he got distracted by some kid playing with a remote-control car. But when the 2nd-year turned his head to see his senpai madly blushing, he naturally turned his head towards the center of their attention.

But like lightning, Marui's hands shot over the black-haired boy's eyes. Marui promptly exclaimed, "DON'T LOOK, BRAT! YOU'RE NOT READY FOR IT!"

"What?! What are you talking about?!"

"You're still too young!" Jackal added in.

"What are they even doing at a store like that?! Wait... are they... they totally just walked in there! What are they, perverts?!"

"What is it that is so bad, you guys?! It's not like they just walked into a bad store, is it?!"

_"IT IS!"_

From outside they could see Matsumoto trembling with humiliation as he shakily handed the lady of the store (who also appeared to be trying incredibly hard to stifle her laughter at the junior high school kid) a white strip of paper, pointing to it. She nodded and promptly walked off. Marui, who was also still red, turned to Jackal. "Wh-What the_ heck_ would they need to do there?! IN A _LINGERIE_ STORE?!"

"They're in a lingerie store?!"

"Kirihara, you heard nothing!" Marui immediately replied, ignoring how Kirihara started to blush at just the word. A few minutes later of staying behind and looking at anything _but_ the undergarments, Matsumoto finally left with a black bag, appearing to sigh with relief while on the other hand Mr. Mysterious continued his uncontrollable chortle.

But akin to Matsumoto, Jackal and Marui, too, sighed with relief. It seemed that the experience was so shocking Marui even forgot about his hunger.

Again, the trio continued to follow them, and as soon as they were a good distance away from that unspeakable store, Marui finally let go of Kirihara's eyes.

The rest of the day continued with the trio tailing the two teenagers as professionally as they could, and thankfully when they stopped at the indoors cafe, Marui could get something to eat. Once they were finished and Marui was re-energized, they followed Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious until they left the mall.

So far, the two had done nothing but talk and just look... happy around each other. As strangely disappointing as it sounded (yet fortunately relieving), there seemed to be nothing fishy about their "secret" relationship. In the end, he really was probably just a friend.

At least, that was what the trio was going to think until they witnessed the duo pausing at the end of the sidewalk to gaze at each other. Once noticing this, the trio immediately hid within bushes, watching Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious exchange very quiet words. Matsumoto had a soft smile on his face while Mr. Mysterious was blushing, a nervous expression on his. Then, in a few seconds, Mr. Mysterious pulled Matsumoto into a deep hug.

Kirihara and Marui had to suppress their accusing gasps, even having to cover their mouths and dig their feet into the ground to keep themselves from doing anything drastic. Matsumoto didn't blush, or didn't deny the hug. He wrapped his arms around Mr. Mysterious and said a few quieter words as Mr. Mysterious slowly loosened his hold around Matsumoto.

Then, from Jackal's right, there was the unmistakable sound of running footsteps.

"HITOSHI-KUN...!"

It was Yukimura's voice. They'd recognize their captain's voice from anywhere.

But when did he appear? Had he saw Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious while they were in the streets? The trio, however, made no move to reveal themselves yet. Unless they were needed, they would let their captain solve this on his own. Besides, if he were to find out that the trio was tailing Matsumoto who knew what sadistic punishment would be waiting.

Yukimura dashed towards Matsumoto, a nonchalant smile hiding the obvious hurt underneath. So, he had witnessed the hug that was exchanged between Matsumoto and Mr. Mysterious too?

But the strange part was that Matsumoto didn't even look like he'd been caught doing anything at all.

He was surprised, yes, but didn't look guilty of infidelity at all. Mr. Mysterious also looked surprised—and analogous to Matsumoto, purely innocent. But before anything could be said, there was another voice, the voice of another boy.

"HARU!"

From the way Mr. Mysterious blinked and turned towards the voice with a soft expression, he must've been Haru. This time, running towards them was someone unfamiliar.

He was the tallest of the four, and appeared a little older than them as well. His black hair was considerably short, and he seemed to be scowling.

However, the trio didn't exactly care about looks during that moment. The one main thought in their heads at the current moment was "_WHO is this guy and WHERE did he come from?"_

"I think our job here is done. It's none of our business what happens next." Jackal whispered, slowly receding from the bushes. Marui nodded. "Yeah, I think they've got this. Whatever happens next, I'm confident the captain's got it handled. Though we didn't really do anything helpful now that I think about it..."

Kirihara looked between his senpai, and with a soft sigh he promptly followed behind them. He was still curious as to what was going to happen, but he didn't want to be the only one left in the bushes. Besides, even though it was finally getting interesting, he still was in the mood for something fun. "Jackal-senpai, Marui-senpai. Let's go play at the arcades."

The upper-classmen agreed.

* * *

Yukimura Seiichi had not predicted or at all thought in his mind _ONCE_ that he would, while on his walk to his favorite art supplies store, catch sight of Matsumoto Hitoshi walking ahead of him with another boy, the same one he saw from before.

Yukimura froze in place, unable to stop looking at the male teenagers laughing and walking so close together. It was the same as before, when he saw them one evening. When they turned a corner, disappearing from his sight, he started to walk again. He turned around and started taking the longer route to the store, then stopped again. Deep in his consciousness, he knew this was running away.

Yukimura Seiichi, the Child of **_GOD_**, damn it, was not going to run away!

He spun right back around and started to run. He would finally confront Matsumoto—if he truly trusted Matsumoto not to cheat, then he wouldn't be so hesitant not to ask. Right when he turned the corner, shouting Matsumoto's name to get his attention, he abruptly halted when the sight of Matsumoto hugging the other teenager came to vision. Hurt filled his heart, but he didn't let it stop him from running towards Matsumoto. Before he could say anything, however, another voice spoke from far off.

"HARU!"

Haru?

Yukimura immediately halted in his footsteps, pausing to both catch his breath and find the source of that voice. Running towards the two boys in front of Yukimura was another male, tall and slender. He seemed to be out of breath, but continued running none the less. Once he was near, he grabbed the person whom he had just found out to be Haru by the wrist.

"Haru, there you are! We were looking everywhere for you! The senpai were getting really irritated because you decided to up and disappear, you asshat! Now come on, hurry up! If we miss our train because of you there's going to be hell to pay!"

"Aah! Sorry, sorry! I'll leave right now!" exclaimed the one named Haru, bowing apologetically as he did so. But before he could run off with the unnamed male, though, he shook off the teenager's grip. "Wait, Tobio!"

The boy, whose name was revealed to be Tobio, spun around irately. "What?!"

"I have something I need to tell you later!"

"Is that something I really need to know now?!"

"N-Not really..."

"Then shut up and just run!"

"Right!" Haru beamed, and grabbed hold of Tobio's hand. He turned back around and waved goodbye at Matsumoto, smiling all the while. "Bye Hitoshi! It was nice hanging out with you! Thanks for your help!"

Matsumoto smiled and waved back as well. Once the running people were out of sight, Yukimura turned to Matsumoto with a semi-confused expression and approached him. "Well... this was a rather interesting situation. Would you mind explaining to me who they were?"

"Hm? Oh, that was my penpal, Haru Yamauchi, from the Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku Region. It was just a class assignment we did back when I was in 4th grade, but we kept in touch all this time. So, since he and his club, volleyball I think, came to Tokyo for a trip or something like that, we hung out a lot. He consulted me on a lot of problems he was having with one of the club members, a good friend of his. I was just giving him encouragement to say whatever he wanted to say to that guy." Matsumoto explained, looking at where the two strangers once were. Then, he looked at Yukimura. "So, do you need something?"

Yukimura only smiled.

So, he _was_ just a friend.

That relieved so much of the heaviness that was on his shoulders and chest, and Yukimura sighed a subtle sigh of utter happiness. Matsumoto _was_ faithful.

He then turned to the curly-haired boy and poked his cheeks.

"No, I forgot what I needed to talk to you about... Say, will you accompany me somewhere? It'll be a date."

Matsumoto stared at him, blinking in surprise.

"Sure… I suppose I can."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hohoho! I added in cameos from Haikyuu! Well, thank you everyone for your encouragement and reviews, I really love ya'll!**


	13. Things Learned

Being at the art store was... _fun,_ if Matsumoto had to find a word for it.

There were so many art utensils and tools, Matsumoto couldn't believe how all those things could be stored in such a tiny place as where they were. Yukimura took the courtesy of showing the oblivious beige-blonde around, introducing several different types of tools and explaining what they were used for.

Of course, he was still patient with Matsumoto whenever he got distracted while Yukimura was still talking. It was irritating, yes, but Yukimura was never one to snap. Besides, it was rather _adorable_ how Matsumoto got just so excited over the littlest things inside the store. He was childishly impressed with the fact that there were actually color pencils out there in the world with more shades than the basic rainbow. Matsumoto also got ecstatic over sketchbooks with the kind of paper he always felt he needed to draw on. Since he'd begun drawing himself, he would always sketch in his notebook, despite the fact that his notebook paper always felt too thin and smooth.

"Hitoshi-kun, have you never been inside an art store before?" Yukimura inquired, looking at him with his navy eyes. Matsumoto glanced up at the captain, and shook his head. "I've always spent my allowance on gardening tools, or supplies. Sometimes on big packages of seeds or new plants. Though I've passed by this place numerous times and even thought about looking around once, I've never actually gone inside."

"You should come with me here more often then. I don't mind being here with you." Yukimura smiled, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind Matsumoto's ear. The teenager immediately blushed and cringed, pushing away Yukimura's hands. "D-Don't... touch me there..."

Yukimura paused in surprise, gazing at Hitoshi's face as a smile begun to spread across his face.

"... Are you ticklish behind the ears, Hitoshi-kun?"

"N-No..."

"I've found out something new about you today! Exciting...!"

"Seiichi-kun...!" Matsumoto pouted, covering his ears so that Yukimura couldn't suddenly assault them. The bag he had been holding was big enough to cover his face from the side, and gave Yukimura a good view of what the cursive writing on its side read. He had to tilt his head a bit to understand the kanji written, and finally understood.

'_Aiyoku's Lingerie... lingerie? Isn't that...?' _

It was then Yukimura's turn to become red. He dropped the package of pencils in his hands and just stared at Matsumoto with wide eyes_. _

His boyfriend... His, from what he knew, his_ innocent_ boyfriend, who was easily flustered and loved gardening with a burning passion, walked into a _lingerie_ store and bought something from it. When Yukimura finally recovered, though his cheeks were still red, he managed to speak, "Hi-Hitoshi-kun... Did you... did you go into a lingerie store?"

Matsumoto blinked and turned back to Yukimura, a surprised look on his face. But when the question finally registered into his head, he turned red as well, and promptly hid the bag behind his back. "N-No..! I mean, yeah! But it wasn't because I wanted to! M-My older brother is coming for a visit with his fiancé, since it's her birthday...! And he got her this, but on the day he was supposed to get it, he forgot his wallet! So I had to get it! It wasn't because I wanted to!"

Yukimura nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "G-Geez... I'm glad you explained..."

Matsumoto was still red. He turned away, his heart beating faster by the minute. This was the first time he's seen Yukimura so embarrassed, and it was... funny. A smile crept onto Matsumoto's face as he tried to stifle the giggles. "Sei-Seiichi-kun... I think this is the first time I've seen you get as flustered as me."

Yukimura smiled amusingly, laughing a little himself. "Really now? Don't be expecting this side of me too much, though... you just got lucky. Though... it's really easy to see you flustered all the time."

With that, he immediately reached his hand out to tickle behind both Matsumoto's ears. He fell into a fit of giggly laughter as he tried to push Yukimura's arms away (but to no avail). A few minutes later, he finally stopped his assault on Matsumoto, letting him catch his breath. Once he was able to speak again, Matsumoto stood several feet away from the male, covering his ears. "Seiichi-kun caught me off guard."

Yukimura chuckled in amusement, picking up the package of pencils that were dropped on the floor. "I sure did."

He would have to use Matsumoto's ticklish spot as a weapon more often.


	14. On Good Days

Seiichi Yukimura had only been doing his own gardening on the school campus flowerbed when the peace and silence he'd surrounded himself with was rudely interrupted with the ruckus of pattering feet.

He turned around, almost surprised to see it was Matsumoto. He looked especially bright and had his hands behind his back, as though he were hiding something. When he reached Yukimura (he stumbled along the way, thankfully not tripping), panting and out of breath, he was still grinning foolishly. His round baby cheeks were red and his usually calm ocean-blue eyes were filled with utter happiness. He was bouncing with excitement as he neared Yukimura. He brought his hands out from behind his back and in his outstretched hands was a handmade flower crown, the most significant flower being a plain white daisy.

"Ta-da! I made you something!" Matsumoto gushed, immediately putting the flower crown on Yukimura's head. Then, he wrapped his arms around his bemused boyfriend's neck, smiling radiantly as he exclaimed, "I was having a really good day, and while I was planting some sunflowers that my club recently got, I thought of you! Then I began thinking about how much I liked you! And then hit me that we're really dating! And I just so happy, and I really wanted to make you something!"

Yukimura blinked. After the words finally settled into his mind, and he fully processed the words said, his lips slowly curved into a pleased smile. Matsumoto was truly too adorable for his own good. Before Yukimura could make a comment on Matsumoto's sudden childlike behavior, the beige-blonde promptly wrapped his arms around the taller boy's neck, pulling him close and planting a long and sweet kiss onto his pale lips. A second after kissing him, Matsumoto pulled away, his cheeks red. "I'm sorry that I'm being so weird... It's just that I don't often have super good days..."

If Matsumoto was acting so spontaneous, then it was only fair that Yukimura became a little spontaneous as well. He grabbed Matsumoto by the shoulders and brought him towards his chest, leaning down to kiss the male as well. He was more passionate with his kiss though, but Matsumoto really didn't mind. Once he pulled away, his hands trembling from holding onto Matsumoto too hard, he smiled like an idiot. "... You're never too weird."

Matsumoto's entire face turned red from happiness. For the first time, and probably the last, he really didn't care if Yukimura was being too kind. He only wrapped his arms around the male tightly, unable to stop smiling. "Okay!"

They both stayed in a hug for a few minutes before letting go, deciding to do some gardening together in celebration of such a good day.


	15. But those legs!

A certain Child of God was utterly excited today.

He, for the first time, had been invited to his adorable Hitoshi-kun's house when his parents were going to be out. Not that the tennis prodigy had anything naughty planned—the two were still in middle school for God's sake—but he was still really excited about getting to be alone with his boyfriend in his own home.

It helped him feel a little closer, and intimate with him, since Matsumoto was usually reserved and quiet. As he started on his trek towards the boy's home, he hummed a cheerful tune and skipped every few steps. Not only would he get to be alone with Matsumoto, but he'd get to see how he was like in a place unseen to the open eye. After all, he was always curious about what Matsumoto did when he was home, free to do whatever he wanted without having to be judged by the public.

Luckily, Yukimura memorized the route to Matsumoto's home, since he was always walking the boy home from school. It'd be rude on his part not to know where his own boyfriend's home was.

It was about a fifteen-sixteen-minute walk before Yukimura reached Matsumoto's street, and a few more to actually find his house. Once there, he opened the gates and started to make his way to the door. He knocked twice, and then waited.

As the sounds of footsteps neared, Yukimura suddenly felt self-conscious. He had no time to look over himself, however, because soon the door was wide open. Standing at the doorway was Matsumoto, who looked like he just got out of bed. His hair was a mess of light-beige curls, and his white tee was crumpled up. But what caught Yukimura's attention wasn't how messy the teen looked... it was the short orange shorts he wore that caught the tennis prodigy off guard.

"Seiichi? Ah, you came like I asked!" Matsumoto smiled, pleased with Yukimura's presence. But Yukimura looked up at the male, and in all seriousness, he said:

"Hitoshi, I'm 100% sure that those legs are illegal."

Hitoshi Matsumoto immediately shut the door.

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**To the Guest: I don't know... I want this to be a story everyone can read, so I don't want to write any pairings that are anyone's NOTP (With the exception of Canon x OC)... We'll see, I guess. **


	16. I Dream of a Wedding

_This isn't real._

That was the first thought that came to Matsumoto's mind once he suddenly became conscious. He couldn't remember where he was, what he was previously doing, or why he was where he was now, but what he _did_ know was that he was in an entirely blank world of white. Then, he realized... he wasn't in some bland, void world of whiteness. There was something over his face... it felt soft, and silky as it brushed against his face. Almost like a... veil.

Matsumoto leaned forward, once he realized that he had been sitting back in what he assumed to be a wooden chair. He lifted up his hands from his lap and softly picked up the hems, lifting it over his head. He _had_ been sitting in a chair, and was seated in front of a dresser with a large mirror. There were various things scattered about on the dresser... make-up stuff. He grimaced, hoping that none was used on him. Then, a second glance to the mirror made him completely freeze in his seat. He almost couldn't believe the person in the reflection was him.

Of course, that was him. Who else could it be? But - at the same time, that wasn't him. It couldn't possibly be him. He looked older... at least somewhere in his early twenties. Twenty-one, maybe even twenty-three. He didn't know, and he couldn't exactly remember. He could only recall being fourteen. His baby-fat was gone, and his face was now more shaped than it used to be. His curly light-beige hair had darkened with more brown streaks, and his bangs were trimmed. It was odd to see so much of his face - heck - even his ears (They were always hidden out of sight, within the mess of his curls). He was also wearing considerably formal clothes... a white dress shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. A white vest, with a light-blue tie. Then, when Matsumoto gazed downwards at his legs, he noted that he also wore _white_ dress pants. He was mildly curious as to why he was wearing so much white, but he didn't dwell on the thought for too long. Matsumoto blinked, amazed with himself.

_Is this... really me?_

Suddenly, there was the creaking of a door. Matsumoto froze nervously in his seat again. He didn't know what to do. He slowly turned around, looking towards the direction that the sound came from. There, at the doorway, was a girl. She looked young, probably around nineteen, and wore a black-strapped dress. She had short but wavy navy-blue hair, and beautiful blue eyes... beautiful blue eyes with a really familiar glint. Not only were her eyes familiar, however, but so was her face. She had an uncanny resemblance to... _Seiichi. Seiichi Yukimura. _

Matsumoto suppressed a gasp. But - before he could ask questions, the girl spoke. "Matsumoto-san, are you ready? Everyone's waiting for you... especially, _you know.._."

She giggled, a bubbly look on her face. Matsumoto took one last fleeting glance at the mirror, at his reflection, and nodded. He stood up, straightening his clothes. "Uh... yeah... where am I going?" _Whoa... I have a pretty low voice... thank you, puberty!_

She blinked. "You're kidding, right? You seriously don't know?"

Matsumoto gulped. He seriously had no clue where he was going, and who was waiting for him. He looked around nervously, and tried to play it cool. With a hopefully-not trembling voice, he murmured, "Of course I'm kidding... I know where I'm going, ha ha..."

She laughed. "Then hurry up! Nii-chan was so excited for this day, and so was I!"

_"Nii-chan"...? Excited? For "this" day...? Wait, could this girl be... and could today be... no way... _

Matsumoto promptly snapped out of his thoughtful trance as soon as the mysterious girl pulled on his arm, dragging him out into a fancy hall. He tried not slip on the marble flooring as the girl pulled him along, but before he could balance himself, she abruptly stopped. "Where's your veil, Matsumoto-san? Did you take it off?"

Veil? Oh, of course... the veil that he had indeed taken off when he suddenly found himself in... a world where he was older and was about to be... probably married, where all the clues were heading. Matsumoto gulped, feeling butterflies flutter about in his body. Was he going to get married? To who? And why was this happening so fast? He could only remember being a fourteen year old still in middle school, so why the sudden time skip? Was this one of those moments in life where being young was almost like yesterday? Matsumoto looked back at the girl and nodded. "I think I left it back there... do I need it?"

"Do you need it? Of course you do!" She giggled, poking Matsumoto's chest. "I'll go back and get it! Just wait here!"

Sure enough, she ran back to the room Matsumoto was previously in and came out carrying a long white veil. She motioned for Matsumoto to come to her, and he obeyed. She tucked the headband comfortably in his hair and fixed the veil over his face, adjusting it here and there. Now Matsumoto went back to only seeing whiteness, but the girl linked her arm through his, giggling. "I'll lead you there! Then you're going to be led the rest of the way by your dad! This is going to be sooo amazing, just you wait!"

Matsumoto was light-headed. What was going on? He hadn't remembered ever becoming anyone's fiance, much less, agreeing to marry anyone. There was only _one_ person in his life who he would he even_ think_ about marrying... but he couldn't possibly be older in this world too. Besides, they were both just middle school boys in the end... the idea upset him, but Matsumoto knew that soon, he'd inevitably be dumped by the Child of God, Seiichi Yukimura. Matsumoto sighed to himself as he felt his chest tighten... he really badly wanted to know what was going on.

That was when he came to an abrupt stop. The girl had let go of his arm and there was something that felt like a bouquet suddenly thrust into his hands. His previously-free arm was linked to another again, and he continued walking. From behind, he could hear the girl's soft whispers of encouragement and wishes for happiness. He held his breath, and the tightness in his chest pulled even tighter.

"Relax, Hitoshi... today's your big day." Said a very familiar voice. Matsumoto felt a warm smile touch his lips as he turned towards the direction of the voice. "Dad... I'm nervous. I never thought... I never thought that I'd be getting married so soon... it's all so weird..."

His father chuckled. "You've chosen someone very special, Hitoshi... he's a great person. I can see why you were so happy to commit to him... but I know how modest you can be, so I'm going to say this now. He's the lucky one, getting to have you for a husband... don't tell yourself anything else! Be proud, Hitoshi... be proud."

He said no more as they continued walking, and he eventually let go. "Continue walking straight forward... and you'll reach your destination."

Matsumoto didn't question his father's wording, and he did as told. He walked straight forward. He had to look down, though, so make sure he didn't trip on anything in the way since the veil he was currently wearing was blank-colored. Then, a few steps more, he was stopped by a pair of hands that rested on his shoulders. He was positioned properly: standing straight, chin up, and shoulders relaxed. Soon after words were being said, but Matsumoto wasn't listening... he was currently wondering what was happening and who was he about to marry as soon as the reverend in charge finished explaining the vows. The girl from before looked a lot like Yukimura, and she had said something about her older brother being "excited for this day", but who was to say that it really was going to be Yukimura on the other side of the veil? And his father's words weren't very helpful, since they were too vague. Matsumoto could have been marrying a _sunflower,_ for all he knew. Once the whiteness was gone, who would he see? Yukimura, or someone else? That scared Matsumoto. Should this really be the future, then there would be no going back. Matsumoto didn't want that. _I... I only like him... Please... If it had to be anyone, let it be him..._

Then... there was silence. And, the veil was slowly lifted over his head. There... as the light filled his vision and the room came to sight, Matsumoto smiled. His eyes met with a pair of beautiful blue ones, ones with a familiar glint. The Child of God was still divine, possibly even more than he was in middle school. His smile was still angelic, showing their sincerity in his eyes. He looked older, as well... around the early-twenties. His wavy hair was trimmed in the back, so it was shorter, and neater. He was also taller, but only by a few inches. Matsumoto thanked whoever it could be for his growth spurt.

"Seiichi..." He murmured softly, tears welling up in his eyes. He was so relieved, so joyful to see the young male he so loved be the one standing there in front of him. The one he was ready to make a life commitment with. Yukimura nodded, the smile unwavering. He looked just as joyful to be there, to be marrying someone as modest as Matsumoto, someone so strange. But he didn't think anything negative of it. He was only focused on the male he was about to make a life commitment with.

Time came, and they said their vows. Then... it was finally time. The wedding ceremony was about to end.

"I do." Those two words uttered from Yukimura were so sincere, so soft... Matsumoto could barely believe them. He looked up into Yukimura's eyes, and smiled warmly. A tender feeling erupted in his chest as he quietly murmured, "I do..."

The tears fell. And what was soft crying before evolved into sobs of joy. At first, there was flash of worry on Yukimura's face, and he worried that Matsumoto wasn't quite as happy as he seemed, but then he caught the smile on Matsumoto's lips. He slowly smiled too, taking Matsumoto into his arms and hugging him. "... Hitoshi."

"Seiichi."

He lifted up Matsumoto's chin and leaned down, kissing him softly. Once they pulled away, Yukimura cupped Matsumoto's face, bumping foreheads. "... it's time to wake up, Hitoshi. This isn't real, remember?"

_This isn't... real?_

_This isn't... real. _

_This isn't real. _

Matsumoto reluctantly opened his eyes, shielding his eyes away from the brightness of the sun. It took a moment for him to adjust, and he sat up, looking around. He was on his rooftop garden... this time, he had a strong feeling it was reality he was in. He stood up, and yawned. He had a very strange dream... but even now, now that he was somewhat awake, it began to slip from his mind. What was he dreaming about?

"You're awake now? You slept for a pretty long time."

Matsumoto spun around, seeing Yukimura emerge from a mass of plants. He had originally come up to the rooftop to have a nice chat with Matsumoto, but when he caught sight of him sleeping, he decided to pass time by watering the plants up there. Matsumoto did indeed sleep longer than Yukimura would've wanted him to, but he didn't mind so much. Matsumoto smiled sheepishly as he started to make his way over to the blue-haired male. "Seiichi... I had a weird dream."

"A weird dream? Of what?"

Matsumoto shrugged. "Of... I don't know. I can't remember..."

Yukimura blinked, then turned back to the flowers he was watering. A smile touched his lips as he thought over what it was Matsumoto could've dreamed of.

"... Interesting."

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**Hiya, hiya! HitmanTargetsYou here! **

**So I was supposed to update multiple stories last week since I posted such a short chapter, but I ran out of prompts. But here's this story, one that I drew a picture for. :)**

**Whenever I write a chapter too short, in exchange, I'll either update with a really long chapter or with a series of more short fluff. If I write a long chapter, then that will be the update of the day, unless I'm in the mood to write. But omg, I had to wake up a 4:40 AM to finish this chapter, and I was so groggy, so tell me about the spelling mistakes and I'll fix them. Until then!**

**Hitman out!**


	17. Weird Sensations

He was sleeping again.

When Yukimura came up to the rooftop hoping to have a meaningful chat with Matsumoto, he came up there to see the teenager sleeping soundly on the ground near the daisies. He was sleeping a lot lately (Yukimura was hoping that Matsumoto wasn't going to become like that one regular in Hyotei's tennis club, the one who was always napping and fanboying over Marui).

With a soft sigh, Yukimura walked over to the sleeping male and lied down next to him, gazing at his peaceful expression with soft eyes. He was so sweet, even when he was sleeping, with his soft breaths and little body movement. Yukimura sat up, rolling the boy to his back so he could be in a more comfortable position. He then climbed over him, propping his elbows to either side of the sleeping teenager's head. With a smile, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. The kiss lasted for only a quick second, however, and he waited to see if Matsumoto would wake up.

Unfortunately, he _didn't._

Yukimura pouted. So Matsumoto may not have been a sleeping beauty.

He leaned down again, kissing with a little more passion. This time he ran his tongue over soft, warm lips, then spontaneously deciding to spice it up by weakly biting down on Matsumoto's bottom lip. This time around Matsumoto begun to stir in his sleep. A quiet moan sounded from his lips and he reached out to drowsily push Yukimura away. "Stop it... I'm still... sleepin'..."

Yukimura chuckled. He leaned down once more to kiss him again, doing the same as he did before. A strange hot sensation ran through his body as he treated Matsumoto with such affection, and he soon found himself balanced on one arm and using the other to trace his fingers down Matsumoto's neck. Then, his free hand traveled further down, until he began to slide them under Matsumoto's untucked shirt. When Yukimura realized what he was doing when he heard Matsumoto mewl, he abruptly pulled away, breathing heavily. He stared at Matsumoto frown at the sudden disappearance of the warmth that was Yukimura. He sighed, waiting for his racing heartbeat to slow down. As soon as he was calm and clear-headed as before, he lied down next to Matsumoto once more, pulling the soft figure into his arms. He brushed away Matsumoto's bangs and kissed his forehead before letting out a shaky sigh.

"You make me do and feel weird things, Hitoshi..."


	18. I'm your Hero

If there was one place Matsumoto could be at the moment, it was most definitely at home and under the covers of his soft, warm bed.

But no, he was trapped on the school rooftop. If it were a sunny day, then maybe Matsumoto wouldn't have minded so much. He could've just continued gardening until someone noticed he was missing and came to check on him or he himself finally managed to open the door.

Unfortunately, in his current situation, it was no sunny day.

No, it had to be raining. It was cold, rainy, and Matsumoto was drenched right down to his very bones. He at least had a tiny strip of good luck though, since the rain had shifted from insanely heavy to fairly moderate. But when he really thought about it, that was still pretty bad, because that meant he wouldn't be drying any time soon.

How did he even get into this situation in the first place? Well, the answer lied in a currently jammed door. And, chances were, that jammed door wouldn't open unless someone kicked it from the other side.

However, no one came up the stairs to save the day.

Even though Yukimura would usually come up in the afternoons to walk him home, with Matsumoto's horrible luck, Yukimura and his team were supposed to be playing matches, so they would be going home from the tennis courts. Matsumoto could've called or texted, but yet again, karma was being a little shit and his phone had run out of batteries. Matsumoto was trapped on the school rooftop, school had just ended, students were already going home, it was raining, and certainly no one was coming up to check if the 3rd-year gardening club president was stuck on the school rooftop with no escape.

Oh, the world was a _cruel_ place.

To make matters worse, the rain had begun to fall just a little harder than before.

Matsumoto inclined his head towards the grey clouds above, letting the cold rain drops slide down his face. There was a small frown on his face as he let out a long sigh. "... What am I going to do?"

He turned towards the door and paced towards it, banging on it as loudly as he could. "Heeey! Someone! Open the door! Come on! There's a student stuck up here, someone...!" he continued to jiggled the doorknob roughly, pulling and shaking all the while banging on the metal door. About fifteen minutes later, he gave up. No one would hear him. Was he going to be stuck there all night? No way!

Matsumoto sighed again, but this time it was a frustrated one. How could he be in so much trouble? What did he do to get such a punishment? Matsumoto ran over to the fence, looking down at all the tiny students heading home.

There was one more thing he could do...

"HEEEY! THERE'S A STUDENT STUCK UP HERE! PLEASE LET HIM OUT!"

The rain must've made it hard for his voice to travel, or made it hard for anyone to hear him. Either way, no one looked up at the desperate 3rd-year.

He fell to his knees, a sullen expression of disbelief on his face. He was never going to get home now. Additionally, it was beginning to grow darker out. Matsumoto looked at his watch, noticing that by that time, he was usually half-way home. His parents were going to be out all-week, so there would be no one to notice that he wasn't home on time. Matsumoto frowned at his watch, as though it were its fault as to why he was stuck in such a situation.

He was getting even more soaked with every passing second and his nose was getting a little stuffy. He could just _feel _a cold coming. Matsumoto looked around, and eventually he sat against a wall, hoping the tiny tin rooftop from above would somewhat shield him from the oncoming rain.

"... Life really sucks," he murmured, closing his eyes. And as he emptied his mind, not knowing what to do at that current moment, he began to think of something else. What would Yukimura be doing if he was stuck on the rooftop? Matsumoto had imagined it, and without being able to help it, he started to laugh. Yukimura would never be stuck on the rooftop. He'd be strong enough to rip the door off, then cool enough act nonchalant about it ("Oh, it was jammed, so I just ripped it out of its hinges."). Matsumoto burst into laughter again, slapping his knee. Honestly, how he could be laughing at a time like this he didn't know, but at least he was feeling better. When his chuckling faded away, he stared up at the dark sky, still smiling.

**_\- Sunflowers and Daisies -_**

How long had it been?

An hour?

Two?

Matsumoto didn't know, but he _did_ know that he had been stuck up at the rooftop longer than he wanted to be. The rain had stopped every once in a while, but for only for a few minutes. Then it'd start again. By this time, Matsumoto didn't even _try _to stay dry. He was already soaked, so why bother trying to shield himself from the rain anymore? He walked around on the rooftop, tending to his plants every now and then. He was particularly careful with the daisies, wanting to make sure that they weren't being over-watered. Too much of a good thing was a bad thing, as he'd always been told. When he was sure that every plant was babied by him, he went back to stand against the wall, waiting for someone to somewhat check on the rooftop.

But... no one came.

Matsumoto pursed his lips, and even though he tried not to, he couldn't help but let a few tears slip. He didn't want to be on the rooftop any moment longer.

It was cold, rainy, and he was unbearably drenched. Yes, rainy days were Matsumoto's favorite days, despite being a pretty sunny person himself. Yes, he loved playing in the rain. Yes, he didn't mind getting colds every once in a while. Yes, he like being with his plants for so long.

But... that didn't mean that he wanted to be locked on the top of the school rooftop with no one to help him. He wanted to go home and eat and go to sleep. Then he could come to school to tend to the gardens again. He didn't like being drenched and melancholic.

"... Ah... I just want to go home..."

Suddenly, there was the faint sound of jiggling. Was that the doorknob?

Matsumoto stared at it with wide eyes, waiting for whatever it could've been. When he was sure it was just his imagination, it happened again. The doorknob started jiggling. Matsumoto nearly yelped with glee. "Hey! Someone's stuck up here! Please try to help me out!"

Silence...

"Hitoshi! Is that you?!" then came a reply from the other side. It sounded like Yukimura! Matsumoto nodded, even though Yukimura wouldn't have even been able to see him. "A-Ah, yeah, it's Hitoshi! Seiichi, please try something! I think you need to kick it, I don't know!"

There was a bunch of jiggling, thumps, then the door finally swung open. There at the doorway was sure enough, Yukimura. He looked worried, and when he saw Matsumoto, his stressed expression didn't change. "Hi-Hitoshi...! You're soaking wet! You're gonna get a cold if you don't get out of the rain!"

Matsumoto nodded, and he hurried to grab his things. Then, he raced back inside, unable to stop himself from tackling Yukimura. "Thank you so, so much, Seiichi! I was stuck up there, and I was scared no one was going to find me...!"

Yukimura forced an umbrella into Matsumoto's trembling hands. "You can talk as soon as I get you home! For now, just walk fast!"

* * *

It was an unspoken fact that Yukimura may have been the most perfect boyfriend ever.

He rushed Matsumoto to his house, and as soon as they were inside he practically dragged the teen to his room. Once they were in his room, he ordered Matsumoto to strip out of his wet clothes (Yukimura turned away from the sight of his boyfriend getting out of his clothes, of course) and take a hot shower.

Once Matsumoto was in the shower, he promptly took his wet clothes and put them in the washer. For the rest of the time, he sat in the living room, reading a book. Even though he badly wanted to cook something warm for his boyfriend, he had already trespassed enough, since he had come into the house when his parents were out and used their washing machine.

Even though it was for Hitoshi's sake, Yukimura couldn't help but feel bad for coming inside without permission. That guilt soon faded sometime later, however, since Matsumoto came walking down the stairs, wearing nothing but grey joggers.

Yukimura nearly _choked on air_ at the sight of his shirtless boyfriend.

"Hi-Hitoshi...!"

"What?" he blinked, "What is it?"

Yukimura stared at him with wide eyes. Matsumoto... Matsumoto, who was the most modest, innocent, pure and shy person he knew, was walking around without a shirt on in the presence of his _boyfriend_ while his parents _weren't home_. Even though Yukimura could've cared less because honestly the view was more than pleasing, that didn't mean he wouldn't notice his change of personality. "You're... not wearing a shirt."

Matsumoto blinked again. "And?"

"You don't care?"

Matsumoto smiled sheepishly. "Well... I'm kinda embarrassed about this—just a little. But it's better to be open around someone you really, really like. Besides, I shouldn't be so shy around you anymore, right?" he unintentionally sent Yukimura a smile so innocent, it was almost entirely _**suggestive.**_ Yukimura said nothing about it out loud, of course, but instead he nodded and smiled back. "Right... of course. Do as you please. It's not like I really mind anyways, it's a great sight."

Matsumoto's cheeks glowed about a thousand shades of red and pink before he turned away, steam coming from his head. "E-Eeeh...!"

"You're so red, you're like a tomato, Hitoshi!"

"I know that! But... that was just..."

"It something I would've said, you should know that."

"But I...! Well...! I just...!" Hitoshi rushed off. "I'm gonna go cook something, you just relax!"

"Oh, I called my mom earlier, and she's letting me stay for the night." Yukimura called out. Then, Matsumoto stopped. He walked back Yukimura, lingering at the arch separating the main hall from the living room. "I forgot to ask, but... Seiichi, why did you come to the rooftop? It was so late, so I figured you'd have already gone home..."

Yukimura thought for a moment. "Well, when my team and I were supposed to have matches, it started raining you know. So our matches were postponed for tomorrow. Then, when we returned to school, school had already ended. So we just dressed back into school uniform and I locked up and started walking home with Sanada... but then I got this really weird feeling. So I separated with him and checked your house, and no one answered. After that I called my mom, told her I'd be over at a friend's house, and started looking for you. Then I just got a feeling that I should check the rooftop..."

Matsumoto nodded. "Oh... I don't like it."

Yukimura blinked. "You don't like what? Me looking for you?"

"No, you always being my hero..." Matsumoto murmured. "Even though I really needed you then, I just... I just feel like you help me too often."

Yukimura chuckled. "I'm your boyfriend, I have to be your hero. I don't mind saving you over and over, so long as I am repaid with a kiss."

With that said, Matsumoto turned a thousand shades of red once more. He rushed off again, not saying anything. But the silence was all that was needed to tell Yukimura that Matsumoto had been emotionally touched. He smiled to himself, standing up and chasing after the beige-blonde.

"Wait! You still owe me that kiss!"


	19. Future Plans

"Seiichi, stop! I'm still cooking, don't make me burn the food!"

Matsumoto giggled as Yukimura continued to ignore his boyfriend's pleas, still hugging him tightly from behind and kissing the back of his ears, teasing him with light nips and licks at his earlobe.

Matsumoto tried to pry himself away from Yukimura again, who was adamant on showering Matsumoto with affection. Every time Matsumoto tried to pull away, he'd drag him right back into his arms even tighter than the last time. Matsumoto laughed uncontrollably as he tried to separate himself from the evil Yukimura, but all the laughing was making him incredibly weak.

It wasn't until Matsumoto smelt what could've been smoke that he finally was able to escape Yukimura's arms and go check on the food ("Ah, ah! See, I told you not to keep messing with me, my food almost burned!").

Matsumoto sighed with relief as he stirred his soup, glad that it didn't burn. He turned the stove off and turned to smile at Yukimura. "It's ready~"

"Will you serve some for me too?" Yukimura asked, smiling back. Matsumoto blinked, and sighed again. "Come on, you're fourteen, serve yourself!"

Yukimura pouted for a few seconds, then smiled again. "But you're going to be my future wife, so you'll need practice."

Matsumoto nearly dropped the ladle he was holding and clumsily caught it before it hit the ground. He spun around and stared at Yukimura with the most shocked expression, unable to process the fact that Yukimura had just said what he thought he said. When he finally snapped out of his flabbergasted stupor, his cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and turned back around. "Sei-Seiichi... A man can't be a 'wife'... I'd be your husband. And you'd be my husband."

Yukimura's smile softened as he stood up from his chair, making his way to Matsumoto. When he reached him, he wrapped both his arms around his torso, kissing the back of his neck. "Matsumoto Hitoshi... will you marry me in seven years' time?"

Matsumoto's eyes widened, and he blinked. A vague memory crossed his mind, but he couldn't remember what it was or where it came from. But—he smiled softly, and turned around, kissing Yukimura's forehead softly. "Of course."

"I love you, Hitoshi..."

"... I like you too, Yukimura."

"..."

"I'm still not serving food for you."

"I could see that coming."


	20. He is in love with Him

Yukimura is in love with him.

He loves the way he smiles so sweetly at daisies that sway gently in the summer breeze. He loves how his deep, ocean-blue eyes swallow the vast skies guiltlessly. He loves the way his laughter practically travels across the world back to his eager ears. He loves the way he is always trying the best he can for the world. He loves the way his scarred, callused hands feel so rightfully perfect in his own scarred, callused hands. He loves how he always makes him forgive his clumsiness (Even if he had to turn in an orange-juice stained essay to his English teacher). Yukimura loves him so, so much, sometimes it really does give him a heartache... Yukimura also loves how "Flower-boy" is able to make that happen.

Matsumoto is in love with him.

He loves the way his soft, angelic voice breaks through his lonely world. He loves the way his beautiful violet eyes let him know, "I'll love you forever, even after time is gone". He loves the powerful aura that he emits whenever, wherever. He loves the way he holds him so lovingly, so protectively, so… Possessively. He loves it when he kisses him softly, sweetly. He loves it when he entwines their fingers, smiling a special smile reserved for his "Flower-boy" and his "Flower-boy" only. He loves the way he is always shining brightly, like the sun. Matsumoto loves him so, so much, the Child of God IS his sun, the center of his world.

They're both in love with each other.

They love the way they can fully, wholeheartedly, and unquestionably trust each other. They love the way they're so characteristically different, yet so perfectly compatible. Even if the other has quirks they just can't stand, they still have the quirks and edges the other absolutely loves. They both in love each other so, so much, they're scared of the future. They're not stupid, they know that no relationship is perfect. And, they're also aware that even if they are in their last year of junior high, they are still children. Heck, even in high school, they would still be children. But… But no matter the case, they also knew that they had only just started their relationship. So, no matter how bumpy the ride got, if they held each other's hand as tightly as they could, they would both stay safely seated forever.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! And I'm glad you like my story, Izumikii! :)**


	21. Yukimura's Pleasant Sleep-over! P1

"Hi~to~shi~! Hey, Hitoshi! Turn around!"

Matsumoto, who was in the middle of moving empty flower pots, did as requested and turned around after setting the flower pots down. Walking towards him cheerfully was none-other-than Yukimura! Yukimura waved at the gardener, then once reaching said gardener, took both his hands and gave them a light squeeze. "Hitoshi, are you free this Sunday?"

Hitoshi blinked. "Uh… yeah, I should be. Why?"

Yukimura smiled brightly and let go of one of Matsumoto's hands, using his now free hand to fix his boyfriend's bangs. "Well, I had a short team meeting with my teammates during morning practice, and we all agreed that this Sunday, everyone could sleep-over at my place. For 'fun team bonding', of course. So, why don't you come over too? I'm sure the others won't mind, they seem comfortable enough those _rare_ times you come to watch practice anyways."

"E-Eh…" Matsumoto smiled nervously, ignoring the obvious-yet-subtle accusing tone in Yukimura's voice and instead wondering how to answer his boyfriend's question. Yes, he would've loved nothing better than to spend the night at Yukimura's place with his teammates, but knowing Yukimura's eccentric character (And he didn't forget the also rather strange characters that were his teammates, with the exception of the Brazilian, Jackal), who knew what tricks would be pulled up. Really, the last thing Matsumoto wanted was to be put through sadistic torture that Yukimura would surely set up. "I don't know, Seiichi…"

"You're coming, right? Because you love me, _right?"_ Yukimura's gentle smile got eerily wider. "I mean, its your choice in the end, but…"

Matsumoto stared at Yukimura for a moment before sighing in defeat. "I might as well, because when you smile like that, I really don't have a choice."

Yukimura pouted (Though there was a high chance that he was smirking on the inside). "I'm glad that you want to come after all, but you make it sound like I'm forcing you…"

_"Gee_, I wonder why…"

"What was that?"

"A-A~ah! Nothing, I said nothing…!" Matsumoto freaked out, waving his hands. He then stood on his tiptoes, quickly pecking both Yukimura's cheeks before picking the flower pots back up and turning to Yukimura again, adjusting the flowerpots in his arms. "I'll be over early this Sunday, then. I'll tell you what time later. But get going, morning practice is about to start for the tennis club, right?"

Yukimura smiled. "Yeah… but you should really try to come and watch practice more often, Hitoshi. Well, I'll see you later then."

.

Matsumoto was at Yukimura's doorstep a lot sooner than he though he'd be. He had a backpack containing everything he was sure he'd need (Earplugs, slippers, a change of clothes, two towels, a book he had yet to finish, toothbrush, etc), plus a sleeping bag. He took a long, deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A moment passed, then there were footsteps. When the door swung open, Matsumoto came face-to-face with a smiling blue-haired woman he quickly recognized, "Ah, if it isn't Hitoshi-kun! Welcome, Seiichi said you'd be coming over. Come on in, he's in his bedroom."

"Ah, thank you, Mrs. Yukimura…" Matsumoto politely bowed his head before taking a step inside, taking off his shoes and heading upstairs. Once he reached Yukimura's room, he knocked a few times, then loudly saying, "Um, Seiichi, it's me, Hitoshi…"

No answer…

"Sei-Seiichi…?"

Again, no answer.

Matsumoto pursed his lips before taking the doorknob and turning it, inviting himself inside. He closed the door behind himself and took a step forward, looking around. That was strange… Matsumoto was sure that Yukimura's mom said he'd be in his bedroom. Did he hear her wrong? Before Matsumoto do any further inspection, he was suddenly tackled from behind, his mouth covered before he could let out a scream.

"I've got you~"

Matsumoto was then let go, and he promptly turned around, punching Yukimura's shoulder. "I almost died of a heart attack…! Why are you always so mean to me, you…!"

Yukimura simply smiled, not even feeling an ounce of pain from Matsumoto's baby punch. "Aw, I'm sorry, so please don't hate me~" he cupped Matsumoto's cheeks and kissed his forehead apologetically, still smiling all the while. "There, is that better?"

Matsumoto was still pouting. "Last time I checked, kisses on the forehead don't cure emotional trauma."

"You've gotten snarky lately!" Yukimura tsked. "I should scold you."

Matsumoto only hmphed, folding his arms and turning his head. "Pbbbft! I don't care!"

Yukimura frowned. "Hey, if you keep on being a bad boy after I've already apologized, I'll really punish you…"

Matsumoto stuck his tongue out at him. "Nyeh!"

"You're so~o childish!" Yukimura simply said with a hopeless sigh, strolling over to his bed and lying down. Matsumoto smiled brightly, setting downs his things and climbing over his boyfriend, comfortably lying down next to him, his head on said boyfriend's chest. Yukimura looked down at the lazy teen and smiled, wordlessly running a hand though his light-beige curls, twirling stray strands around his long fingers. "Cute, cute Hitoshi…"

They both stayed like that for not too long, however, because there was soon a knock at his bedroom door again. "Seiichi! It's me and Genichirou, we came a little earlier than expected. Ten minutes earlier, to be exact."

That was Yanagi. Matsumoto promptly sat up and looked at the opening door, smiling at the two guests who seemed unsurprised to see him. Sanada nodded his head in acknowledgement, and Yanagi politely smiled. "Seiichi had already told us that you'd be a part of the team bonding, but I already knew there'd be a 97. 9% chance of your presence beforehand."

"Ah, i-is that so…?" Matsumoto lifted his shoulders. "As expected of 'The Master', huh?"

"Naturally."

"I still believe that this 'sleep-over' is a ridiculous idea for training - er, correction, 'team bonding', but I've already gotten so far…" Sanada murmured, taking off his cap and running a hand through his black hair. Matsumoto smiled apologetically. "Sanada-kun…"

Yukimura hushed Matsumoto with a quick kiss, then turning to Sanada. "Oh Genichirou, don't be so upset… it'll be worth your time, I'm sure of it."

Sanada only sighed. "Well… we'll just have to see about that, then."

Just then, the door opened and Yukimura's mom poked her head in. "Seiichi, two of your teammates arrived… Don't be too loud, now, okay?"

"Yes, mom. I'll make sure the volume is moderate."

"Of course you will." She smiled and left, Niou now standing in her place. He waved a hand. "Yo~"

"Niou." Yanagi stared at him with his shut-eyelids. "There's a 78.6% chance that Yagyuu is with you, I presume, and that you both came early because Yagyuu insisted."

Niou whistled, and stepped inside the room, Yagyuu following behind. "That's our Strategist for you, piyo~"

Yagyuu smiled politely, being the gentleman he was. "Of course, Yanagi-kun's calculations are almost never wrong. Although, I must say, it's really odd to be standing in Yukimura-kun's room for the first time. It's unsurprisingly tidier than Niou-kun's room. Niou-kun, you should really take example of Yukimura-kun."

"Puri."

"Well, thank you for the compliment, Yagyuu. I'm honored you think that." Yukimura smiled. "And Niou, if your room is as messy as Yagyuu is implying it is, I suggest you listen to his heeding."

"There's a 86% chance that Niou will stay the same."

"Shame. Niou, you shouldn't be so tarundoru!"

Niou frowned, sitting on Yukimura's bed and slinging an arm around a nervous Matsumoto. "Maaan, do you see all these guys ganging up on me?"

Yukimura raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Niou… I can tolerate you on my bed, but if you don't get your arm off him_ right_ now…"

"Sorry, buchou, sorry…" Niou sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "Well then… what do you even have planned for the rest of this evening?"

"Well, anything that can help with our 'team bonding' of course." Yukimura's casual smile gave Matsumoto chills. He couldn't shake off the feeling that 'anything' would inevitably result in disaster and life trauma. "Um… I can't help to feel a little wary about this… is it too late to go home?"

Yukimura gasped, Niou smirked, Sanada pulled his cap down, Yagyuu looked away, and Yanagi sighed in pity. "It's 100% too late for you to back out now, Matsumoto-kun. You are now a part of this."

"If we suffer, _you_ suffer, puri~"

"Renji! Niou! You make it sound as though this is some kind of secret torture!" Yukimura scolded, sliding his arm around Matsumoto's torso. "And Hitoshi! I was so sure you were looking forward to this… were you lying all this time?"

The sincere disappointment in Yukimura's violet eyes made Matsumoto sigh in defeat. "Well…"

"Then it's settled. You're going _nowhere."_

_._

It wasn't until an hour later did the next guest, or rather, guests, arrived around the assigned time at evening. The next people led to Yukimura's room by his smiling mother were Kirihara, Marui, and Jackal (who looked _extremely_ uncomfortable, like Matsumoto). Kirihara's emerald eyes became wide with awe when he looked around Yukimura's room. "Who~oa! Yukimura-buchou's is even plainer than I thought it'd be!"

"Akaya… I'm not quite sure if that was an insult, or compliment…"

"It was a compliment, because my room is really bad."

"Re-Really now…?" Yukimura smiled just a tad bit nervously. "Well, since everyone is here now, why don't we start arranging the sleeping bags? I'm sure that there's enough space in here, though there might have to be some squeezing involved. I call sleeping next to Hitoshi~"

"Eh? You're not sleeping on your bed?" Matsumoto blinked. Yukimura laughed heartily, patting the gardener's head. "Of course not! I'd rather sleep with my team on the floor!"

Niou opened his mouth and raised a finger, but chose the wiser choice and kept silent, since he very much valued his life.

"B-But Yukimura-buchou! You should sleep on your bed, it'd be much healthier for you!" Kirihara protested, but Yukimura waved his hand. "I'll be fine, but it's really considerate of you to worry about me, Akaya. Now, let's start the sleeping arrangements…"

"Well, Seiichi, coming from what your mother requested earlier, if you want to keep the volume as low as possible, I suggest that Kirihara sleep as far away from Niou and Marui as possible, and that Niou sleep next to Yagyuu. There's an 89% chance that Marui would still talk to Jackal, but not quite so loudly, so it is okay for him to sleep next to him as well. Now, would it be fine with you if Kirihara sleeps next to Matsumoto?"

"Hmm? Well, it all depends on Hitoshi, really." Yukimura smiled at Matsumoto, who shrugged. "I'm fine next to anyone, really."

Yanagi just faintly smiled. "Then I'll sleep in-between Akaya and Genichirou, who will sleep next to Yagyuu. Are you satisfied, Seiichi?"

"Yes, thank you for your assistance, Yanagi. I have no objections." Yukimura replied, then looking around the room. "Well, we may have to move to a guest room. I don't believe there is enough space in here, after all."

With that, Yukimura stood up from his bed and walked over to his closet, opening it and rummaging around a little bit. A few minutes later he pulled out his own sleeping bag. "I haven't used this in a while… I wonder of I'll still fit?"

.

The sleeping bags were arranged into a circle, with enough space in the center for there to be a pile of paper, pencils, and various snacks (Marui had his own snacks to add to the already-big pile). There was also a small electric lantern, but it was to be used later. After everything was set up, everyone sat down on their sleeping bags, waiting for the next instructions. Yukimura smiled and clapped his hands, "First things first, I would just like to say, bad behavior will _not_ be tolerated. Next, have fun! Since Rikkai is known for its rather scary image, let's brighten it up a bit!"

"What's the point if no one else but us sees it…?" Hitoshi murmured under his breath, flinching under Yukimura's eerie smile. "Hitoshi… would you like to repeat that?"

"Ah, no, I'll be fine, thank you…!" Matsumoto immediately replied, waving his hand and smiling nervously. Yukimura patted his head, then turned back to everyone else. "Now, the first thing I have planned is this," he gestured to the pile of paper and pencils.

Yukimura took a piece of paper and folded it into eight, ripping eight slips of paper and handing a piece to everyone. "Everyone will write one sentence about themselves that they believe no one else knows. It doesn't matter what, it can be any little fact. Then, we will set the slips blank-side up and shuffle them, and everyone will then each have a turn to take one slip and read it. We will then have to guess who the fact belongs to! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I highly doubt there is anything about us that Renji doesn't already know…" Sanada commented, arms folded. Before anything else could be said, Yanagi raised his hand, replying, "For the sake of the team bonding, I will not say anything if it is already in my notebooks. Other than that, this should be… _interesting_, to say the least,"

"Can we just start?" Marui asked, blowing a bubble.

"Yes, yes…" Yukimura replied, taking a pencil. "Everyone, you may start writing."

A few minutes of pencil scratching on paper later, everyone's slip of paper was set onto blank-side up into a somewhat neat pile and shuffled by Yanagi. Yukimura then gestured to Marui. "We will go counter-clockwise, starting with Marui."

"O~kay!" Marui blew a bubble, then took the first slip, reading it out-loud. "'**I once ate a brown crayon when I was seven because I thought it was chocolate'**."

"Akaya." Said Niou, Jackal, and Sanada simultaneously. Yagyuu nodded along. "I, too, think that that is Kirihara-kun."

"Hmm… I'm going to guess that it is Marui." Yukimura smiled. Yanagi raised a hand to his chin, thinking. "Marui would be the logical answer. So I will guess Marui too."

Marui stuck his tongue out. "Too bad, 'cause it ain't me. And though this handwriting isn't all that good, its not Akaya's chicken scratch either."

Matsumoto smiled sheepishly. "That was my fact…"

"Hey, don't feel embarrassed, Matsumoto! I ate plenty crayons on accident before, so we're in the same boat." Kirihara beamed, patting Matsumoto's back. Jackal sighed at the statement. "Well, we weren't completely wrong…"

Yukimura smiled at kissed Matsumoto's cheek, ignoring the awkward stares from his girl/boyfriendless teammates. "That's just adorable. Now, it's my turn~"

He pulled out a piece of paper. "'**I once fed a tarundoru giraffe'.**"

Everyone turned to the stone-faced fuku-buchou, who coughed. "Well… that giraffe_ was_ tarundoru."

"Well… that was a pleasant surprise." Yanagi smiled. "If not for the 'tarundoru', there would've been a 98.7% I'd have gotten that wrong. But I'm curious as to how a giraffe is 'tarundoru'…"

"Ahem, well, next fact please." Sanada said loudly, looking at Matsumoto. Matsumoto nodded and picked off the next slip of paper, "**'I… I… once got chased… by a gigantic dug… when I was four…'**"

"Okay, this time it's Akaya." Marui snickered, and everyone else nodded pitifully in agreement.

"Why don't you elaborate more on how this_ 'gigantic dug' _chased you, Kirihara? I'd love to hear all about it."

"Akaya, not even being able to write a single sentence without misspelling one word, that's tarundoru!"

Kirihara blushed a thousand shades of red before snapping, "I-I got chased by a gigantic dog when I was four, okay?! That's what it says!"

"Now, now everyone, let's not tease Kirihara-kun…" Matsumoto softly scolded, turning to Kirihara with a polite smile. "I'm sure that he will get better."

"What Hitoshi said is correct, however…" Yukimura turned to Kirihara, giving him his infamous smile of future misfortune and death, "If Akaya continues to be as messy as he is,_ I_ will have to step in, won't I? Hmm, Akaya?"

Kirihara nodded stiffly. "R-Right… I'll try the best I can to improve…"

"Goo~od! Now, it's your turn to read. Go on."

"Yes, sir!" Kirihara pulled out the next paper piece, reading aloud, "**'I once tried to go on a journey. Then I got hungry and went home.'** I'm guessing that it's Marui-senpai!"

"Marui." Said Sanada and Yanagi.

"Marui-kun." Said Yagyuu and Matsumoto.

"Bunta." Said Jackal.

Everyone then turned to Yukimura, who smiled. "Hmm… I have say to Niou, because the look on Marui's face says that it's not his fact."

Marui nodded. "I'm guessing Niou too, 'cause it ain't me. Hey, why is it the ones that got to do with food, you all always think its me?!" No one answered that question for obvious reasons.

Niou whistled. "Yeah, it's me."

"Niou… I should've known." Sanada murmured. "Well, next is you, Renji."

"Right…" Yanagi pulled out the next slip of paper. "'**My glasses were once ran over by a couple of kids riding their bikes when I accidentally dropped them.**' There's a 80% chance that this is… Jackal."

"Jackal?!" Kirihara exclaimed. He and Matsumoto exchanged flabbergasted looks. "No way! Jackal-senpai doesn't wear glasses!"

Yanagi almost smirked. "Do you doubt my knowledge, Akaya?"

"W-Well… I mean…" Kirihara looked at Jackal for answers. Jackal then shrugged. "I just don't need to wear them often. Sorry that I didn't tell you…?"

Marui blew a bubble. "You _better_ be sorry. And I'm your own doubles partner, sheesh…"

"Well, I'm learning new things~ New, fascinating things… In any case, Genichirou? Its your turn."

"Mm." Sanada unfolded his arms, suppressing a sigh. He then pulled the next piece of paper. "'**Though I may have read many books, I have never read the one about the wizard boy.'** This is most definitely Yanagi. Your handwriting is very neat. That's not tarundoru."

"Thank you, Genichirou." Yanagi smiled, his pleased expression then turning blank. "Oh, I believe that I have just revealed myself…"

"Yanagi-senpai! You've never read the HP series?! It's so good though! You need to absolutely read the books!" Kirihara gushed, eyes wide. Yanagi simply raised an eyebrow. "You read the series?"

"No, my mom made me."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

"Well, Yagyuu, it's your turn now." Matsumoto said, and Yagyuu nodded, taking the next slip of paper. "Of course.** 'My favorite color is aqua, but to be able to see the ocean in his eyes makes me smile.'** Well, Yukimura-kun is more of a romantic than I would've thought."

Kirihara cringed. "Couples are so _weird_."

Yukimura only smiled, "Once you experience the emotions, you'll understand, Akaya. But I don't blame you for thinking that.", he then turned to the blushing Matsumoto and kissed his red cheek. Kirihara, again, made a face, muttering stuff about 'cheesy romance' under his breath.

Niou reached out to the pile and picked off the next paper. "Well, its between Marui and Yagyuu now. **'I'm quite good at playing Puzzle ring'**. Haha, that's definitely Yagyuu, because Marui sucks at everything he does!"

"Oi! I'm a freakin' genius, okay? Maybe not at Puzzle ring, but I'm still better than you at tennis!" Marui snapped, making Niou snort. "You wish."

"Marui! Niou! Stop your bickering this instance!" Sanada demanded. Niou rolled his eyes. "Yes, _daddy_."

"Niou… you are _testing_ my patience."

"Now, now, Sanada... Niou." Yukimura murmured. "Keep the volume low, remember?"

"Yes, yes…"

"Mm." Sanada nodded. "I will overlook his immaturity this once." Niou only hid his mischievous smile.

"Yagyuu-senpai, you play Puzzle ring? Ain't that a game for kids?" Kirihara asked, making a face. Yagyuu smiled at him and fixed his spectacles. "No, not at this age I don't. But I was quite good at it when I was younger. I imagine that Kirihara still plays it, though."

Kirihara blushed. "No I don't! Okay, maybe _sometimes_, but that's only 'cause the neighborhood kids make me!"

No one made any comments on Kirihara's words, because all agreed that there were no words to be said. Jackal then took the last slip of paper and shrugged. "Well, we all know that this one is Bunta now, but I'll just read it anyways. '**I once went to a farm with my family and my littlest brother pointed to a pig and called it me.'**"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Sanada even smiled a little. After the moment passed, Yukimura then stood up, leaving the circle to turn off the lights and came back, turning on the lamp. A chill ran down Matsumoto's spine, and he turned to Yukimura. But, before he could say anything, Yukimura was already smiling devilishly.

"So, that was fun… why don't we try summoning a demon now?"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Again, thank you to everyone who reads, faves, follows, or reviews! You are all such great encouragements! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**Oh, and I was thinking about a review that a guest left, but I do very much want to add a Yanagi/Sanada or Sanada/Yanagi pair, since it's one of my OTPs. But, as said before, I also don't want to write anyone's NOTP. So, review what you think.**


	22. Yukimura's Pleasant Sleep-over! P2

"So, that was fun… why don't we try summoning a demon now?"

The room would have been entirely and awkwardly silent, if not for the sounds of Marui choking on a cookie he had been currently eating when his buchou suddenly suggested demon summoning. The poor boy had finally managed to cough it out with the help of his trusty doubles partner Jackal (who's solution was to awkwardly smack Marui's back until he coughed it all out), and promptly started gasping desperately for air. Meanwhile, Kirihara instinctively grabbed hold of Matsumoto, clinging to his arm. "Yu-Yukimura-buchou! You're _kidding_, right?!"

Matsumoto, in turn, also clung to Kirihara. "H-He has to be!"

"Seiichi…" Yanagi began, an almost nervous expression beginning to form. Sanada, on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to just teleport back to his home and take an aspirin. Or two. _Or maybe the entire bottle_. Niou kind of just started to slowly recede into the safety of his sleeping bag and Yagyuu tried not to let his own nervousness show, though failing miserably. After a few minutes of the sputtering, choking, and crying from all around him, Yukimura finally cracked a sincere smile and started to laugh. "Of course I'm kidding! But you guys should've seen the look on your faces! It was so _hilarious!"_

"Buchou is a sadist…" Marui muttered under his breath as everyone loosened up in relief. Kirihara, however, did not let go of Matsumoto, but simply lightened his grip. The tension had not gone either. Everyone was all too wary of Yukimura, unsure of whether or not their _beloved_ buchou, or in Matsumoto's case, boyfriend, would suggest something completely uncalled for (not to mention, highly insane) again. But, he did nothing of the sort, and instead suggested something completely normal… much to everyone's heavy suspicions. "Why don't we talk about the school committees we are on? I'm interested in what my team - and boyfriend - do for the school. Are you guys having fun? Are you doing a good job? Let's start with Jackal this time, and go clockwise from there."

Jackal semi-sighed, and shifted his legs to keep them from falling asleep. "Me? Fine then… I'm on the Biology committee, and I take care of the turtle in my class. It's name is Kame-chan."

"Kame-chan…?" Marui repeated, almost bursting into laughter. "That's gotta be the cheesiest name ever…!"

Jackal glared at his doubles partner. "Oh shut up, Bunta. At least my class _has_ a Kame-chan."

In response, Matsumoto sighed in awe, looking up at the ceiling. "Man… I wish my class had a Kame-chan. Turtles are _sooo_ cute! I'd definitely grow the perfect environment for one, if I ever get one."

Kirihara looked at Matsumoto curiously. "You don't have one? Are your parents meanies like Sanada-fuku-buchou?" He later ignored the glare Sanada sent him after his question.

Matsumoto shook his head, slumping his shoulders. "My parents just don't want me having to take care of any pets until I start highschool. Well, at least I don't have long to wait. By the way, Niou-kun, its your turn."

Niou yawned lazily and propped his head on his chin. "I'm not on any of the school committees. Yagyuu?"

"I'm on the Public morals committee with Sanada-kun." Yagyuu stated, pushing up his glaring spectacles. "You can already assume what we do, and since Sanada-kun is president, I'd also imagine that we do a good job at enforcing the rules of Rikkai Dai. Sanada-kun?"

"Anyone caught breaking the rules will be mercilessly punished. I will not tolerate any troublemakers and rule-breakers! They are - "

" - tarundoru?" Interrupted everyone else, all staring at the fuku-buchou with blank stares... except for maybe Yukimura, who was instead smiling knowingly. Sanada sputtered a few incoherent words before pulling down his cap. "… Yes."

Yanagi smiled at his friend, then looked back to everyone else, "I'm the Student council secretary. Since there is a 78.9% chance that the most of you do not care what I do in the committee, I will leave that part out. But I'd like to believe that I do a good job as secretary."

"I'm positive that you are wonderful at your job, Renji." Yukimura agreed. Sanada nodded. "I'll have to admit, I cannot imagine Renji being anything but productive as Student council secretary."

"Thank you."

"Eh, so I guess its my turn now…" Kirihara mumbled, leaning up a little bit, but not yet letting go of Matsumoto's sleeve. "I'm not on any school committees. But sometimes I pick up litter that I see trashed around on campus and throw it away, if that counts…"

"Akaya! That's such a mature thing to do, good for you!" Yukimura beamed, looking sincerely proud. Again, Sanada nodded in agreement with Yukimura's words. "That's not tarundoru. Keep it up, Akaya."

There was a few snickers coming from Marui and Niou, earning a glare from the only 2nd-Year in the room. Marui tried to muffle his mouth, but failed as he continued to snicker endlessly through his fingers. "Aww, baby Akaya's growing up so well!"

"Maybe he'll stop being such a brat, too." Added a grinning Niou. At that, Kirihara turned red, and glared at his senpai-tachi. "A-At least I'm caring for the earth, unlike you two evil people…!"

"One, that was a stupid comeback. And two, this is coming from the one nicknamed 'devil'?" Niou sneered, making Kirihara even redder with embarrassment than before. Yukimura raised his hands, gesturing for the two to calm down, though it was more towards Kirihara since Niou was fairly calm on his part. "Now, now… Marui, Niou, you two shouldn't tease Akaya so much. You're both his senpai, so set a better example!"

Marui hung his head at being scolded by his buchou, nodding. "Yeah, yeah… you're right, buchou."

"Well, since its my turn now…" Matsumoto spoke up, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm on the Journalism committee. I write articles for the Plants Daily! section. You can probably tell what I write about already, so… They're not that interesting, rea - "

" - Nonsense." Yukimura interrupted, turning to the gardener. "Hitoshi, why haven't you told me this before? I would definitely read your articles, and I'm highly sure that I'll love them."

"Eh, really…? I mean, I only babble about gardening…"

"Hitoshi. I love gardening, just as much as you."

Matsumoto smiled a bit, his cheeks turning pink. "Y-You make a fair point, Seiichi…"

Niou grinned lopsidedly, looking between Matsumoto and his buchou, "A few more compliments later plus a kiss and we'll be in the middle of a heartfelt scene from a boys-love manga." he commented amusingly.

Matsumoto had then turned as red as Kirihara had been, and he quickly shook Yukimura's shoulder. "A-Anyways, it's your turn, Seiichi…!"

Yukimura nodded and shifted into a more comfortable position before speaking. "I'm on the Beautification committee, and that's all you really need to know. I don't particularly enjoy having to touch trash, or anything similar, but this is important for the well-being of the school population, is it not?"

"Of course it is, Yukimura. You are doing a splendid job." Sanada commented, earning a smile from his buchou. "Thank you, Genichirou. Marui, its your turn?"

Marui blinked, then reached over to grab a ramune bottle. "Oh, I'm not in any school committees."

"Ah, well at least now I have learned quite the interesting information." Yukimura smiled. "I feel as though this team bonding is really working out. But are you guys sure that you don't want to try demon summoning?"

_"NO!"_

Yukimura chuckled, and then shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, sorry… I was joking again. I actually have something else in mind that I want us to do."

With that said, Yukimura then started took a few sheets of paper from the pile and handed one to each person. After each person had a blank sheet of paper, he then positioned the lamp further in the center of the room, so everyone had a fair amount of light. After that, he took the slips of paper with the facts, and wrote each person's name on each slip of paper, putting the slips into a pile and shuffling it before sliding everyone a random slip of paper. "Now we will draw a portrait of whoever person we were given. Don't tell anyone else who you got, just draw them to the best of your ability. Then, once everyone is done drawing, we will show our drawings."

"Eeh? But drawing is such a pain…" Kirihara pouted, but the stern expression on Yukimura's face clearly stated there would be no exceptions. Kirihara then sighed and reluctantly let go of Matsumoto, now sitting comfortably with his legs crossed and leaning forward to start drawing the person given to him.

About a forty minute-or-so conversation about tennis later (Matsumoto only speaking up whenever he wanted a definition of whatever tennis term was used), everyone was done drawing. Pencils were set down and after another tense minute, Yukimura smiled. "Genichirou, you go first, and we will go counter-clockwise from there."

Sanada nodded, and turned his picture around. "I am rather proud of this, actually…"

It was just a rough sketch of Yanagi smiling, but it was amazingly well drawn. There was a chorus of whistles and whoas, and Matsumoto sighed in awe, looking at Sanada with wide eyes. "Sanada-kun! That's such a pretty picture of Yanagi! But to be honest, I didn't know you could draw, so this a real surprise."

"Genichirou did a really great job, ne? What are your thoughts, Renji?" Yukimura turned to his close-eyed friend, who simply smiled gently. "Genichirou is an amazing artist, I must say…"

Sanada simply pulled down his cap. Next was Yagyuu, who when he turned over his picture, revealed his own amazing sketch of Yukimura. He smiled and pushed up his glasses. "Well? What do you all think?"

"I'm impressed, Yagyuu. It looks just like me!" Yukimura praised. But then he cocked his head, hand to chin in a thinking manner. "Although… is it just me, or does my smile seem a bit different?"

Niou whistled in awe, looking at Yagyuu approvingly. "Whoa, you can really draw. Well, mine ain't all that good…" he then turned his paper around as well, letting everyone see his stick-man picture of an angry Sanada shouting 'Tarundoru'. While Sanada tried not to let his irritation show, most everyone burst into laughter. Yukimura, who had been chuckling lightly, turned to Sanada amusingly. "It looks just like you. Niou captured you perfectly!"

"Niou-senpai, that's too funny!" Kirihara said between laughs. "It really does resemble Sanada-fuku-buchou!"

"You both are just _begging_ for laps, aren't you?" Sanada grit between his teeth, looking as if he were going to kill someone. Yanagi sighed and rested a hand on Sanada's shoulder. "Calm down, Genichirou. Take it easy, this is team bonding, remember?"

"… Yes." Sanada finally sighed, taking his cap off and running a hand through his hair. "But one more time, and I swear…"

"Eh, so I guess its my turn then." Jackal turned his picture over next, revealing to everyone his drawing of Kirihara… with literal seaweed hair. Once again most everyone burst into laughter, Marui being the loudest of them all. He held his stomach and fell back, laughing all too hard. "So Jackal does have a sense of humor, after all…!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Wow, you're so funny Jackal-senpai, you really got me there, hahaha." Kirihara commented flatly, the lack of amusement clear in his eyes. Jackal only laughed, shrugging. "I wanted to be realistic."

Marui, whom had previously been dying of laughter, finally sat up and ended his snickering. "Don't worry Akaya, your senpai has your back!" he turned his own picture around and showed everyone his bald stick figure picture of Jackal holding what was most likely a racquet. "Eh? Do I have genius art skills or nah?"

Jackal simply sighed.

"Yeah, it looks just like him!" Kirihara commented loudly for Jackal to hear, and Yukimura smiled. "It's quite the accurate picture."

Jackal nearly choked on air. "B-Buchou?! What?!"

Sanada folded his arms and sighed, looking at Yukimura disapprovingly. "Yukimura, you shouldn't encourage their immature, childish, and foolish antics." Yukimura waved his hand. "And you should lighten up, Genichirou, it's team bonding like Yanagi said, loosen up, please."

"Yukimura…" Sanada sighed. "You make a fair point, but still…"

"But nothing, now have fun, Genichirou!" Yukimura scolded. "Now, its my turn."

He turned his picture around and revealed an amazing sketch of Marui blowing a bubble. Matsumoto sighed in awe like most everyone else, staring at the picture enviously. "Seiichi! Man, I really wish I had your art skills… you're so cool! You could be like… the next Leonardo da Vinci or something!"

"Me? The next Leonardo da Vinci? No way, I'm not that good." Yukimura denied, shrugging. But Marui shook his head, still captivated with the picture drawn of him. "Buchou, you're amazing as always! You really captured my genius-ness!"

Niou whistled in amazement, looking at Yagyuu. "Buchou is amazing as always, ain't he?"

"Seiichi, you are a really talented artist." Yanagi agreed. "Perhaps you wouldn't exactly be a Leonardo da Vinci, but you would definitely make a name for yourself in history."

"Hmm…? Is that so…" Yukimura pondered, a soft smile on his lips. "Well? Matsumoto, its your turn."

"O-O-Of course! It's not all that good, really, but I tried, so…" Matsumoto excitedly turned his picture around, beaming. It was a plain cartoon-ish doodle of Yagyuu wearing his glaring glasses and to everyone's amusement, holding up the peace sign. Yagyuu smiled politely at the gardener, surprisingly genuinely pleased by his doodle. "It's… for a lack of better words, adorable. I'm impressed."

"Really?! You like it?! Aw, I'm honored!" Matsumoto gushed, his cheeks red and his eyes sparkling. "I'm not much of an artist, so I'm glad you like it…! Gee…!"

Yukimura beamed at the sight of his happy boyfriend, ruffling his messy, curly hair then turning to Yagyuu approvingly, pleased with his choice of reaction and words. Yagyuu simply pushed his glasses up. Niou looked at Matsumoto's doodle, and he couldn't help but to smile too. "Matsumoto, your Yagyuu looks… unique. Very Yagyuu."

"'Very Yagyuu'…?" Matsumoto cocked his head in confusion, but didn't question any further. Kirihara looked at his own picture, then looked at Matsumoto's. "My picture isn't as cool as Matsu-senpai's, but…"

He turned his picture around, revealing a rather pointy sketch of Niou (as though it was the work of a five year old who got hold of a pencil). He appeared to be smirking, and in a messy speech bubble was the single word, 'Puri'. Niou nearly choked on his own spit. "What the heck?! I look like some demon!"

"Akaya, that has got to be the scariest picture I've ever seen." Marui commented, Jackal nodding in agreement. Matsumoto looked at Kirirhara's picture and smiled amiably, giving him a thumbs up. "It's cute!"

Niou coughed. "You think _THAT'S_ cute?! That's a freaking alien right there!"

"It is!" Matsumoto insisted, ruffling Kirihara's messy black hair. Yukimura only shrugged. "We all have our own tastes… some worse than others."

Niou scoffed. "Tell me about it."

Yanagi then coughed, attracting everyone's attention, "I suppose that it is my turn now." he turned over his picture last, and revealed a nice sketch of Matsumoto laughing. "My calculations said that a picture of Matsumoto-kun happy would please Seiichi and Matsumoto-kun."

"… isn't it just basic common sense?" Marui commented, and Yanagi smiled. "That too."

"Wow! Yanagi-senpai drew a really great picture of you, Matsu-senpai!" Kirihara awed, and Matsumoto nodded happily in agreement. "Yanagi-kun is quite the artist too!"

"It's to be expected, of course." Sanada agreed. Yukimura beamed at Yanagi, clapping his hands. "That's a great picture of Hitoshi, Renji! It looks just like him! Is it fine for me to keep that picture?"

"Of course you may have it."

"Thank you!"

"I would just like to give a shout-out to everyone who was drawn badly." Jackal said, earning a smack on the head from Marui. "Oi! My picture was genius! Don't hate!"

Jackal only rolled his eyes.

Yukimura then beamed, clapping his hands for attention. "I'm going to tell a story before bedtime! So everyone listen now!"

"Buchou's got a story? Well, it can't be bad if he's the story teller…" Marui mused, sitting up straight. Matsumoto nodded in agreement, looking at his boyfriend happily. "Tell it, Seiichi, tell it!"

Yukimura smiled gently. "Well… it's really my version of Snow White. And it starts with her picking flowers…"

And no one, with the exception of Yukimura, was able to sleep peacefully that night.

.

"So, did you have fun, Hitoshi?"

"I am NEVER sleeping over at your place ever again!"

"Eeh? Why not?"

"I HAD NIGHTMARES, SEIICHI, TERRIBLE, TRAUMATIZING NIGHTMARES!"

"I promise not to tell stories."

"Liar."

* * *

**A/N:**

**It is confirmed, I will add the Sanada/Yanagi pairing. But that chapter will come later! :D**

**Eh, I feel as though the ending to this chapter was forced, but... I guess it akk depends on you guys. Oh well. Hitman out!**


	23. Good Music

**This chapter was inspired by the song "Romance" by freeTEMPO**

* * *

One day during cleaning duties, Seiichi Yukimura came across the most… _interesting_ sight.

He had originally been cleaning the second floor hallways near the stairs, but while he was moving to clean another spot in the hallways, he passed by the stairs and just barely noticed the sight of a familiar someone moving about. Yukimura stopped and took a few steps back, then a few steps down the stairs only to stop again when he saw the culprit of his distraction. It was his boyfriend Hitoshi Matsumoto… and he was _dancing._

The teenager didn't seem to notice him as he smiled happily, holding his broom in one hand and waving his free arm about. The cause of his obliviousness was most likely the white earbuds he was wearing as he danced in no particular pattern, singing the lyrics to whatever song he was listening to softly. The gardener was, as always, acting weird. Then, Matsumoto closed his eyes, doing a few spins before returning to his regular patternless dancing. And, to Yukimura's pleasant surprise, Matsumoto could really move his body. It was almost fluid, his dancing.

The way he bobbed his head to the rhythm, the way his feet glided across the floor, the way he moved his arms and shoulders, it was all so fluid and patternless and Matsumoto was just having _fun._

Yukimura descended a few more steps before finally sitting down, setting his broom down next to him. And he smiled softly, watching as the oblivious gardener continued to mindlessly dance, because in his world, he was probably all alone. Ha ha, what would he do, if he found out that he was being watched without his knowledge?

That question would then be answered when Matsumoto did another spin, turning around and opening his eyes to catch the sight of a certain smiling Child of God sitting on the stairs watching him. When Yukimura noticed that he had noticed, he gave him a small wave. "Hello, Hitoshi~ Don't mind me, just keep doing what you were doing before."

Matsumoto flushed red, and he clutched his broom tightly. "H-How long have you been watching?!"

"Eh, I don't know. Maybe the entire time?" Yukimura replied, then he clapped his hands. "It was an amazing show! Keep dancing!"

Matsumoto shook his head, slowly backing away. "Please don't tell anyone about this! Especially your team! Just forget this altogether!"

"Hmm? Why would I do that?"

Matsumoto frowned. "Because I… I uh… I don't want anyone to know! Because its embarrassing!"

Yukimura smiled again, feeling utter adoration for the gardener. It didn't matter how much he could protest that Matsumoto's dancing wasn't bad, the naive teenager would still be embarrassed and refuse. Honestly, if the boy could just be a little less modest… Yukimura then sighed, standing up again and picking up his broom. "If you really want me to, Hitoshi… by the way, what were you even listening to?"

Matsumoto smiled softly, looking away. "… Good music."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I went back and added something small to the last chapter, just in case you guys are interested. Anyways, thank you to all you readers! :D**

**So, what do you think Matsumoto was listening to? XD**


	24. Sweet, Lemon Kisses

On one particularly warm day, Yukimura found that he couldn't stop kissing Matsumoto. And when he visited him on the school rooftop where the gardener nourished his garden, he found himself kissing said gardener for the millionth time that day. It was only a quick greeting peck on the lips, however. And when Matsumoto smiled, turning his back, Yukimura slowly licked his lips, tasting the faintest trace of sweet lemon. Yes, that was why he had been kissing the gardener more than necessary… even though Yukimura wasn't even the biggest fan of sweets, he found that when the sweetness was on the lips of his boyfriend, he desired to taste it even _more._

Before he knew it, he had reached out to his lover, smoothly wrapping his arms under Matsumoto's arms and around his torso, pulling him close into his chest. He also raised a hand to his chin, tilting the gardener's head towards him for better access to his lips. Then, he expertly claimed those pink lips again as he did many times before. Fortunately, Matsumoto wasn't being too fussy, so sneaking in his tongue wasn't as hard as it usually was. Soon, the kiss became even better, even hotter, and even more _sweeter_ than before. Matsumoto groaned, melting in the tennis prodigy's arms as he let Yukimura's warmth envelop him. Yukimura smiled satisfactorily in the kiss as he combed back Matsumoto's light-beige hair, his long fingers purposely brushing the back of Matsumoto's red ears.

When he felt the gardener jolt in discomfort, Yukimura promptly pulled away, panting. "I'm sorry… but I couldn't help myself. You taste particularly sweet today…"

Matsumoto turned even redder, covering his face. "… I drank two bottles of lemonade."

Yukimura blinked, than laughed, patting Matsumoto's head. "Ah, is that it? No wonder why. You shouldn't consume so much sugar, Hitoshi… or you'll become my own personal candy. And too much candy isn't really healthy for the human body."

"Eh? E-EEEH?!" The overly-red Matsumoto took several steps away from him, trying to increase the distance between them. Yukimura said the weirdest things, and on purpose…!

Yukimura only laughed shamelessly again.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I was feeling that this story needed a little more make-out sessions. Viola! **

**And as always, thank you everyone who reads, favorites, follows, or reviews! You are such big encouragements, and I couldn't be happy enough that you enjoy reading my story!**


	25. Why So Red?

"Aah… where could've he gone…?"

Matsumoto murmured to himself, walking around the school hallways on the the second floor, where Yukimura's class was around. He had already checked the school rooftop, then the tennis courts, the school flower campus, and in all of those places Seiichi Yukimura was nowhere to be seen. In all desperation, the last place to check would be his classroom. The tennis prodigy _had_ to be there, at least. Matsumoto had just turned a corner when he saw Yukimura standing just outside his classroom. But before he could call out to him, he also noticed the girl he was talking to. Matsumoto immediately his darted back around the corner, peering out to spy - er, carefully watch the two.

He wasn't close enough to hear what they were talking about, but coming from the natural expression on her face, it must've been something like business. But the longer Matsumoto watched, he began to realize… she was an _extremely_ pretty girl. With long, smooth black hair that moved silkily whenever she ran a pale hand through it, and perfectly feminine featured face. Matsumoto felt his heart stop beating for a second, and he quickly turned back around, sliding down against the wall. Heat rushed to his face and he knew that he was now as red as a homegrown tomato. Worse of all, he knew this feeling… he knew why his heart had nearly beat out of his chest.

His weakness against _pretty people._

He hadn't felt his system get as tangled up as now in a looong time. The last time he had gotten so shy was when he first met Yukimura… and after that, he had basically never encountered anyone as beautifully perfect. Matsumoto took a deep breath, and stood up. He had already eavesdropped enough, so it was his time to go. But… if she was so pretty…

Matsumoto tightened his grip on his shirt. What was the suffocating pressure on his chest? Why wouldn't it go away? He took another deep breath, and then decided. He only needed to talk with Yukimura for a little bit, so there was no harm in taking him away for a minute. Matsumoto turned the corner, taking small and hesitant steps. Damn, he was becoming red again. Matsumoto walked until he was fairly close, and meekly called out, "U-Um… Can I…"

His voice trailed off to a soft squeak, and he promptly gazed at the floor in embarrassment.

"Yes?" Asked a silky voice, making Matsumoto even redder. Even the girl's voice was totally perfect. Matsumoto willed himself to look up, despite his red, flushed cheeks, "I just… need… Sei-Seiichi… for a little bit. If that's…" his voice trailed off again.

The girl smiled gently and nodded. Then, she turned to Yukimura. "I'll be on my way, then. We can talk tomorrow."

She turned around and walked away, soon leaving the two 3rd-Years by themselves in the corridor. Then, Yukimura turned to Matsumoto, walking to the red-faced boy and cupping his flushed cheeks. He peered at him curiously before leaning down to kiss his forehead and his nose, smiling sweetly. "You're so red… what are you so embarrassed about?"

Matsumoto's eyes widened, and he looked at Yukimura incredulously. "How could you not know?! She was right in front of you!"

"Eh? You mean Hanasaki-san? What about her?" Yukimura chuckled softly. "Aw, was Hitoshi jealous?"

Matsumoto turned red again, and he turned away. "… Just a little bit. But that's not it!"

"Then what is it?"

"She was… really pretty." He murmured. "And you know how I…"

Yukimura blinked, not getting Matsumoto's point until he finally remembered. And when he did, he frowned, pinching Matsumoto's cheeks. "You're not looking at anyone else like that, are you…?"

Matsumoto squeaked and pulled away, glaring at his boyfriend. "That's abuse! And i-it's not like I like her or anything… she was just pretty, is all. Almost as pretty as how you looked when I first met you…"

"That's not very calming." Yukimura pouted. Then, he realized another point, and he cocked his head curiously. "Ne… if you don't get so shy around me anymore… does that mean…?"

Matsumoto also realized his point, and he blinked. "Oh, Seiichi must not be very pretty to me anymore."

"Hitoshi!"

"Sorry, sorry! You're always teasing me, so…" Matsumoto smiled sheepishly, backing away from his boyfriend's increasingly dangerous aura. Then, he turned and ran. But Matsumoto should've known to never run away from an athlete, especially one who was in the tennis club and was the _captain_. In only a few seconds he could feel Yukimura's arms wrap around his waist, and he was lifted into the air. Matsumoto giggled a bit, flailing around a bit before giving up. Yukimura set him down and backed him into the wall, trapping him with his arms. "As punishment for teasing _and_ running…"

"Seiichi, I'm sorry…!" Matsumoto laughed, cowering and sliding down the wall. Yukimura ignored his pleas and started to tickle the poor boy, smiling. "Its too late for apologies!"

"Sei-Seiichi…!"

"Ah, I remember…" Yukimura suddenly spoke, and he stopped his assault on the breathless teenager. "You said that you needed me for something, didn't you? What was it?"

"Eh? Huh? Uh…" Matsumoto blinked, fixing his crumpled shirt and sitting up in thought. "Mm… Ah, I forgot."

"…"


	26. The Jersey that went Missing

Yukimura was never one to make a fuss over something little. He was a calm fellow, with a cool head and logical reasoning to keep him leveled. But when he took off his tennis jersey due to the hot summer waves and set it down neatly on the bench, when the quickest moment he took to give fast advice to a 1st-Year who desperately needed it passed by, he returned to the bench to find that his beloved jersey was not there. It was _gone_. Where it went, he knew not, but Yukimura would not make a big deal out of it. He calmed himself down and looked around the bench he had left it on. Perhaps it slipped off and fell to the ground. Or the wind blew it away. But unfortunately, that was not the case.

His jersey was not on the ground. His jersey was not even anywhere near the bench. His jersey was… gone. Missing. He refused to even _think_ 'disappeared'. Yukimura took a deep breath, and calmly strode to where Sanada was loudly ordering the other members to swing deeper. He lightly tapped the broad man on the shoulders, and leaned towards him. "Genichirou… have you seen my jersey? It seems to have… went missing."

"Your jersey?" Sanada repeated. Then, he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Did you thoroughly check where you left it last?"

"Are you _really_ asking me that?"

"Well, even the most careful of men can never be too sure." He replied, fixing his cap. "Not even you, Yukimura. But, if you insist, I'd ask Renji. Perhaps he knows, since he seems to be able to see all with even his eyes closed."

"Perhaps…"Yukimura murmured, folding his arms. He turned and left, quickly scanning the crowds of tennis players for the data player. When Yukimura finally caught sight of him sitting on the same bench that his jersey went missing from, he paced over to him and stood before him expectantly. Yanagi didn't even need to look up from his notebook to know that it was him. "Yes, Seiichi? Do you need something?"

"In fact, I do, Renji. I need my jersey. Have you seen it? Or what might have possibly happened to it?" Yukimura questioned smoothly, though in reality, he was on the verge of panic. He didn't have his jersey, and it was making him rather… edgy. Without his jersey, Yukimura didn't feel like… Yukimura. Yanagi pondered for a moment, which was _rare_, before he looked up from his notebook and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. And I doubt that anyone else has, they're all so busy practicing. And do you really plan on stalling practice just to ask everyone if they have seen your jersey?"

Yukimura pursed his lips, then smiled. "Of course not. I will continue searching after practice ends."

.

Practice had ended. Nearly everyone had dressed back in and already left… except for Yukimura. And the regulars, who stayed behind to watch their captain in curiosity. They all knew that he was being a little edgy that day, but when they had asked, he refused to tell. Now there he was, dressed in uniform but back at the courts searching for whatever it could be that he lost. Kirihara turned to Yanagi and pulled on his blazer sleeve, asking, "Ne, Yanagi-senpai… what is it that Yukimura-buchou is looking for?"

"His jersey." He replied immediately. Marui raised an eyebrow. "Buchou lost his jersey? How did _that_ happen?"

Yanahi simply smiled. "Well, even I wouldn't know."

Kirihara immediately set his things down and ran towards the court. "I'll go help him search!"

"Well, he _is_ our buchou…" Niou sighed, being the next person to make his way to the courts. Eventually every single regular was out on the courts, helping Yukimura to search for the missing jersey.

.

"Ah… we couldn't find it. And you guys went through the trouble of searching, too…" Yukimura sighed, sitting down on the bench. Everyone exchanged looks before Yagyuu spoke up, "Yukimura-kun. We could continue our search tomorrow. Until then, we should get going before its late."

"Yeah, you're right. I must've kept Hitoshi waiting." Yukimura sighed again. He stood up from the bench and clapped his hands. "Well, you're all dismissed. Again, I couldn't thank you guys enough for helping me search. I need to go now, so…"

"It's alright, buchou! Don't sweat it! We'll definitely find it!" Kirihara beamed. Yukimura smiled and started to leave the courts, departing with the others and now making his way to the main building. When he reached the hallways heading to the stairs to the rooftop, he stopped when he heard arriving footsteps. Yukimura blinked when he saw Matsumoto turn the corner… wearing a familiar yellow jersey. It was _his_ jersey.

Yukimura was immensely relieved to have found out that his jersey was not harmed and was in the safe care of his boyfriend all along, but he was also extremely taken aback by how incredibly _adorable_ he looked wearing the thing. His jersey was quite oversized on the fellow, the sleeves sagging with only the tips of his fingers being seen and the body practically eating Matsumoto's. Matsumoto looked at Yukimura and smiled brightly. "Hi! You're really late! I was just about to go check on you!"

"… Hitoshi, how did you get that? My jersey, I mean."

"Hm? This?" Matsumoto cocked his head, making the _cutest_ face. "I was passing by the tennis courts and made a quick visit. But I thought I told Yanagi-kun to tell you that I was borrowing it for today…"

He then grabbed the collar, pulling it close and smelling it. "Ne… your jersey smells sooo good, Seiichi! What cologne do you use? Or is it just your natural smell? I wouldn't be too surprised, if it's just how you naturally smell. After all, Sei - "

Yukimura immediately interrupted the gardener mid-speaking to pull him into a passionate kiss. He would have Sanada punish Yanagi later for keeping his mouth shut, but first, he needed to absolutely _ravish_ his flower-boy, who was too darn cute for his own good.


	27. Yukimura's Rabbit

"Hitoshi, did you know?"

Matsumoto looked up from the book he was currently reading, staring at the teenager who had just spoke. Yukimura was sitting on the couch next to him, also reading, but he paused mid-paragraph to ask Matsumoto the question. When he saw the look of interest on his boyfriend's face, he smiled. "I have a very cute rabbit."

"You have a rabbit?" Matsumoto blinked, and his lips softened into a sweet smile. "Aw, that's cute... I didn't know you had a rabbit, though."

"I do." Yukimura continued on, setting the book down onto the arm rest and crossing his legs. "It was very recently. It wasn't as if I really wanted a rabbit, though, but when I passed by the pet shop and saw it, I just thought to myself... 'Wow, what a cute rabbit'. So I would come in sometimes, just to look at it, or I would stand outside the shop to admire it. The rabbit was very shy, it was always running off to a corner whenever it saw me. And all the time, I thought, 'What a very adorable rabbit. I would like to have it, but I don't really want a rabbit'. It wasn't until a few weeks after my operation was a success, and I saw it again, I thought to myself... 'Why doesn't anyone want this rabbit? It is very cute'. And then I realized... I didn't want anyone else to have this rabbit. I liked this rabbit. So, I went inside..."

"And you got the rabbit?" Matsumoto smiled, making Yukimura smile as well. "Yeah, I got the rabbit. Do you want to know what it's name is?"

"What?" Matsumoto asked, sitting up straight. Yukimura leaned back, looking away. "Matsumoto Hitoshi."

"Eh? You named it... wait. Were you..." Matsumoto slowly turned red, covering his cheeks. "E-EEH?! Were you referring to me?! Seiichi!"

"But you're very much like a rabbit, Hitoshi! I couldn't resist!'

"I'm not a rabbit! Why a rabbit, of all animal?! Rabbits are very cute, yeah, but I don't want to be a rabbit!"

"Eh? But there's nothing wrong with being a rabbit."

"Am I really so weak to you...?"

"... To be truthful, yes."

"Seiichi!"

"Or maybe you're more of a bunny..."

"Seiichi...!"

"Sorry, sorry..." He apologized, however, his smile defying his words. Matsumoto frowned and folded his arms, looking away from Yukimura so he could hide his scarlet cheeks. "Seriously...!"

Yukimura only chuckled softly, murmuring under his breath, "... and my rabbit is surprisingly feisty."

"I heard that!"


	28. Operation SanaYana! Prologue!

One fine day, a certain couple started plotting. And it all started with one measly comment from 3rd-Year Gardening club president, Hitoshi Matsumoto. He and his boyfriend, the captain of the tennis club, Seiichi Yukimura were eating together outside with two others, their friends Genichirou Sanada and Renji Yanagi. Both of those boys had gone to go buy some bread as soon as the lunch period started, and while they walked away with their backs turned, Matsumoto leaned towards the wavy-haired teenager next to him and whispered, "Seiichi... don't they make a good couple?"

"Hm? Why do you say that?" Yukimura hummed, smiling at the gardener. Matsumoto's smile widened, and he pointed at them. "Just look at them, Seiichi! They look absolutely perfect, like a traditional Japanese couple! Yanagi-kun is really, really pretty, and he's so smart and calm, and Sanada is handsome, and he's got a really passionate character, so if you put them together... I don't know, I just think they're really meant for each other!"

"But they're both boys?"

"And we're both boys!"

"Ah, point taken." Yukimura nodded. "Let's hook them up."

"Yea - wait, what?" Matsumoto turned to him, eyes wide. "Eeh...? I don't know about _that_, I mean, yeah, I'd love to see them get together, but I think that who they want to date is their choice too, y'know..."

"Exactly. We are _not_ forcing them to date. We're merely going to... _influence_ them." Yukimura smiled innocently, taking a sip out of his juice box. Matsumoto laughed nervously, averting his eyes. He had a feeling that he just started a big mess, but whenever the gears in Yukimura's head started to turn, there was no stopping them until what was done was done. He sighed and picked up his juice box, eyes widening in surprise when he realized that it was empty. "Ah, it's empty. I'll go get another one."

Before he could even stand up, Yukimura took another sip out of his juice box, grabbing Matsumoto by the shoulders and making the boy face him. Matsumoto didn't realize what was going on until he saw Yukimura's face coming close, and he turned red. Before he could protest, Yukimura kissed him as his mouth was open. All Matsumoto tasted was apple juice, and a trace of cherry lip balm. When Yukimura finally pulled away, he smiled sweetly, cocking his head. "There. I hope you like apple juice."

Matsumoto flushed red, and wiped his lips, abruptly standing up. "Sei-Seiichi! That's so... you're so...! Geez!"

He stormed off to the vending machines, still red. All the while Yukimura laughed in amusement, watching him with glee. Then, he looked back towards the school doors, watching as Sanada and Yanagi started to come back with their school bread. He smirked and took another sip of apple juice.

"Now... what should I do about these two?"


	29. Operation SanaYana, commence!

"Operation SanaYana? Oh Seiichi, don't tell me..." Matsumoto looked at the tennis prodigy with a concerned expression, but the blue-haired teenager payed him no mind. He only continued to hum and swing his feet back and forth, while Matsumoto drank his smoothie slowly. The gardener was originally watching some TV back at his home since it was the weekend, but Yukimura came over unexpectedly, dragging him off to a diner for a 'talk'. After being seated down, that was when Yukimura brought up the topic, 'Operation SanaYana'. Matsumoto knew straight off that the whole meeting was for the topic he had spoke of before, that Genichirou Sanada and Renji Yanagi would make a cute couple. He hadn't expected for Yukimura to be so _serious_ about, though. And as they sat in the diner together, Matsumoto couldn't help but feel that he was about to throw himself into disaster. Yukimura however ignored the look on the gardener's face and took his hands into his, smiling brightly. "Operation SanaYana means exactly what it means! We're going to find a way to secretly get those two to finally notice each other!"

"But they're friends?!"

"Not like that, you're so simple!" Yukimura scolded, brows furrowed. "Come on, think Hitoshi! When I say notice, I _mean_ romantically notice."

Matsumoto frowned at the blue-haired teen and promptly replied, "And how are we going to do that without getting them annoyed or suspicious? Yanagi is practically a walking computer, and though _I'll_ even admit Sanada is quite oblivious, he isn't stupid! Seiichi, this is suicide!"

"Not with me, it isn't. They don't call me the Child of God for nothing, you know."

"That's for tennis!"

"And?"

"Seiichi!"

Yukimura chuckled at the gardener's agitation, while said gardener was less than amused nor pleased that his boyfriend seemed to enjoy watching him pout unhappily. Matsumoto sighed and folded his arms, leaning back in the seat while looking out the window. He was brainstorming. How would they be able to get Sanada and Yanagi to even _look_ at each other with the slightest interest? It would be difficult. Extremely difficult. Matsumoto tapped his forehead, then turned to Yukimura. "Ne, Seiichi, why don't I give Yanagi-kun some flowers, and ask him to give one to anyone? He'd definitely give it to Sanada-kun!"

"Hm... you could try that, yes. And it'd be fun to see Genichirou's reaction to being given flowers by Renji. Yes, you do that tomorrow, and I'll think of something I can do." Yukimura nodded, folding his arms. There was a gleam in those violet eyes that gave Matsumoto shivers. He shook his head and looked out the window, then before he could turn back to Yukimura, something caught his eyes. He leaned forward, and his eyes widened. Coming towards the diner was... Sanada and Yanagi! He gasped in shock, and immediately turned to Yukimura, patting his hand. "Seiichi, Seiichi! Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun are coming, what do we do?!"

"They are?" He blinked, and turned towards the window, smiling. "They are! Let's invite them to sit with us! We'll make it a double-date!"

"But they're not even dating!"

"Yet."

"Oh my goodness, Seiichi."

Soon enough, Sanada and Yanagi walked in, and Yukimura turned around in his seat, waving to the two teens. "Hey! Renji, Genichirou! Over here, you two!"

The two teens both looked around confusingly before they finally noticed their blue-haired friend waving to them. They gave each other a look before Yanagi smiled sheepishly at Sanada, making his way to Yukimura with Sanada following behind solemnly. Once the two arrived to the table Yukimura and Matsumoto were seated at, Yanagi smiled politely, his eyes closed as always. "Seiichi. I didn't expect to run into you and Matsumoto here. There were higher chances of me and Genichirou running into you two at the mall."

"Of course you'd say something like that, Renji..." Yukimura replied. "Well, you have to expect the unexpected, right?"

"Naturally."

"Anyways, why don't you two sit down?" Yukimura gestured to the seats, smiling all the while. Yanagi and Sanada both looked at each other, and Sanada shook his head. "It's fine, Yukimura. We don't want to interrupt your - "

"It's fine! Really, sit, please!" Matsumoto insisted, eyes gleaming. "The more, the merrier!"

"W-Well..." Sanada stuttered, obviously surprised with Matsumoto's sudden outburst. He looked at Yanagi again, who sat down next to Matsumoto hesitantly and awkwardly. "I-If you two insist..."

Sanada sat down next to Yukimura stiffly, who raised his hand to his head and pulled off his black cap and placed it in a space next to him where Sanada couldn't reach. "Genichirou, no hats inside or at the table!"

Sanada frowned, glaring at his blue-haired friend. "Yukimura, I don't ever recall telling you that since you're captain, you may take my hat whenever you like."

"It comes with being captain." Yukimura replied with a smiled, and he turned Yanagi. "So what are you two doing together?"

"Hm? We were just going to do some shopping, is all." Yanagi answered. "Why do you ask? Would you two like to join us?"

Yukimura's previously polite smile turned almost mischievous, and he casually replied, "And ruin a perfectly good alone-time between you two? No thanks. I'd prefer for the both of you to become even _closer. _Friendship is such a precious thing, really, you should always try to connect with them all the time."

Yanagi and Sanada both exchanged strange looks as Matsumoto glared at his boyfriend, hand-cutting his neck in a gesture to tell him to stop. Yukimura's smile only became all the more playful. He turned to Sanada, elbowing him. "So... speaking of friendship, that makes me think about relationships. What's your type, Genichirou? Renji?"

"We're still students, Yukimura, we have no time for dating." Yukimura elbowed Sanada again for that. Yanagi, though, raised a hand to his chin in thought, slightly cocking his head to his right. "Well... I really like someone who is very analytical, with great tactics and a quick head. Also someone who is very strong, and tenacious. An airhead like Matsumoto doesn't suit me at all."

"E-Eh? Rude..." Matsumoto pouted, brows furrowed. "I'm not an airhead."

"You're kinda slow, Matsumoto." Yukimura added in, agreeing with the Data master. Matsumoto stuck his tongue out at the blue-haired boy and then turned to Sanada. "These two meanies aside, Sanada-kun, do you really not have a type? I mean, there's got to be _someone_ you like out there. Someone who's made you sway."

"I already said, we're still in junior high, we have no time for silly things such as dat - " Sanada stopped, his voice faltering for a bit. Then a second later, he shook his head irritatedly and continued, " - W-We're still in junior high, dating is irrelevant!"

"You kinda lagged there, Genichirou."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I stated my mind."

"Sanada totally has a type."

"I already said I didn't!"

"Now, now, if Genichirou doesn't want us to infringe upon his business, then we should just leave it be." Yanagi chimed in, and Sanada smiled at him with utter relief. "Yes, it's precisely as Ren - "

"Besides, I have a whole notebook dedicated to Genichirou's love life, just meet me in the back of the school tomorrow if you want more details."

"Renji! If that's true, I swear to make your life a living hell!"

"Only joking, Genichirou."

"Genichirou, with a brash personality like that, you'll definitely scare all the ladies away. Or men. Your preference."

"Yukimura, you are testing my patience."

Matsumoto chuckled, propping his head against his arm on the table. It was amusing to watch Sanada get so flustered, he could see why Yukimura always loved teasing him so much. Matsumoto wasn't the type to tease so much, but he planned to poke Sanada in the future for the fun of it. Another thing Matsumoto really enjoyed watching was the interaction between the three tennis players. They were all so close, and even though Sanada was irritated, Matsumoto could sense that the atmosphere was fun and warm. He chuckled again, catching Yukimura's attention. "Are you having fun, Hitoshi? You're giggling a lot over there."

"You guys are really funny, I can't help it." He replied, smiling softly. Yukimura, too, smiled warmly and reached over to fix the gardener's bangs. "I'm glad you think that."

Yukimura then turned to Sanada and Yanagi, "Well, me and Hitoshi are going to be on our way now. Have fun, the two of you!"

The two tennis players got out of the seats to let them out, and Yukimura grabbed the gardener's hands, pulling him along as he waved goodbye to his friends (Sanada immediately grabbed his hat and stuck it on, as expected). Once the two were out of the diner, the blue-haired teenager squeezed his hand, brushing his cheek with a single finger. "You're so cute, Hitoshi..."

"Don't say things like that..." Matsumoto murmured, blushing. "It still makes me embarrassed."

"I'll say it as many times as I need to... because so many times is never enough." Yukimura responded, chuckling. "Anyways, about Genichirou and Yanagi... don't you think that Sanada was acting a little odd? He definitely has someone he likes. I'll try and find out. You just try to get answers of Yanagi."

"Yes, sir." Matsumoto replied, saluting Yukimura, which in turn made the blue-haired boy grin. Operation SanaYana was just getting started!

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**To the guest, yeah, you're totally right, Yukimura's gonna start disasters and Matsumoto's gonna pray, lol. Also, thank you so much, that means a lot! XD **

**Anyways, who doesn't love a flustered Sanada, honestly? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have _someone_ to meet in the back of the school for some top-secret information, hehehe...**


	30. Operation SanaYana: Daisies!

Matsumoto stared at the bundle of daisies in his hand, a single drop of sweat sliding down his face. This was the moment. The life-changing moment that he was going to have to take... to hand over the flowers in his hands to Renji Yanagi, 3rd-Year, tennis club regular. He was friends with the teenager, yes, but he just couldn't shake off the persistent feeling that Yanagi would automatically know that something was _up._ He had never felt any pressure more intense than the stress that he was going through now... and it was all because he was going to hand Yanagi some dang daisies. Matsumoto gulped, and stared at the flowers again. Once a long moment had passed by, he quickly turned around and started pacing down the hallways.

While the light beige-haired teenager had originally planned to hand Yanagi the flowers in his classroom, as though fate were being a little something that started with 'sh' and ended with 'it', he almost bumped into someone. He jumped nearly five feet into the air as he was prepared to apologize one-hundred times a second when he realized that the frighteningly tall student was only Yanagi. Yanagi, still as close-eyed as ever, peered at Matsumoto curiously. "Oh... Matsumoto. I'm sorry, that was quite a close one. You shouldn't be so quick in the hallways, with someone your type, there's always a 98.9% chance that you'll hurt yourself."

Matsumoto flushed red and shook his head furiously. "D-Don't worry about me! Anyways, I was looking for you, so um... _here-these-flowers-are-for-you-take-them-and-hand-some-to-everyone-else-okay...?!"_

Yanagi would've blinked. "Pardon me? You were... talking quite fast there."

"Renji!"

Matsumoto jumped at the new voice, almost ready to speed out of there when it suddenly registered to his head that it was only Sanada. Yanagi, too, had figured out it was Sanada, and turned around to face the broad-shouldered male who was currently making his way towards them. "Ah, of course, Genichirou."

"Renji, I was - what are those?" Sanada blinked, staring at the bundle of flowers in his hand. Yanagi smiled and gestured towards Matsumoto. "These are just daisies that Matsumoto gave to me. We were just talking."

Sanada glanced at Matsumoto, then directing his attention upon the flowers, a strange expression on his face. Matsumoto and Yanagi, however, were quite oblivious to it. Matsumoto instead beamed like it was New Years Eve, and tugged on Yanagi's sleeve, his eyes wide with excitement. "There, there! Give one to Sanada-kun, Yanagi-kun!"

Yanagi cocked his head, and plucked three daisies out of the bunch, handing them over to Sanada with a polite smile. "Here, Genichirou. Three daisies just for you."

Sanada took them hesitantly, staring at the flowers in his hand with confusion. It was as though he had no clue what to do with flowers, as though he had never seen a daisy before. A moment later, he awkwardly stuffed the flowers into his shirt pocket, murmuring a soft "Th-Thank you..."

Matsumoto grinned, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Sanada seemed pleased to have been given flowers from Yanagi, and now Matsumoto was certain that Sanada must've felt _something_ for the Data master. He started backing up, a spring to his step. "Well, I'm gonna go give some daisies to Seiichi now, so you should hand a few of your daisies to the others too, Yanagi-kun! Bye bye!"

.

"Hitoshi, today at practice, all the regulars were wearing daisies... strangely enough, even Genichirou." Yukimura had mused out loud the moment he stepped onto the school rooftop, where he knew that Matsumoto would be. Matsumoto turned to the blue-haired teenager with a mysterious smile, not revealing anything. "I didn't do anything... maybe they just like daisies now."

"You sly little liar..." Yukimura smiled, slinking an arm around the smaller teen's waist, pulling him close to his body. "You gave Renji the daisies, didn't you?"

"Maybe..." Matsumoto hummed, averting his eyes. Yukimura sighed and let go of the male, pouting. "I want flowers too, Hitoshi."

"Go ahead and take one, the daisy population has boomed."

"That's not what I mean..." Yukimura frowned. "I want a flower from _you." _

Matsumoto cocked his head and stood on his the tip of his toes, planting a small kiss onto Yukimura's nose. Yukimura blinked, and broke into a soft chuckle, rubbing Matsumoto's lips. "Not flowers, but this is better..."

"Anyways, you came here to walk me home, right?" Matsumoto questioned, picking up his bag from the ground. "Let's go now, the others are probably waiting for you."

"Right, right." Yukimura mused, grabbing hold of Matsumoto's hand. "Let's go~"


	31. Sunflowers, or Daisies?

Yukimura always loved going to hardware store with his mother. That meant that he could go get new seeds, and new gardening utensils. But since the ones he was currently using wasn't particularly old and broken, today, he decided that he could just go looking for some new seeds. As soon as he and his mother stepped foot into the hardware store, he separated from her side to head for the gardening aisle. He hummed a small tune, strolling along past others before reaching the area. Some time was spent looking around when while on his walk, his traveling eyes caught sight of someone familiar standing in front of a seed stand. He stopped at once and turned his head, seeing the back of someone he knew well. Seriously, he looked like a foreigner, with his light-beige hair. Yukimura smiled, not all that surprised. The teenager was a gardening fanatic, sooner or later they would've had to run into each other at the hardware store.

"Hitoshi!" He called out, waving cheerfully. A moment of silence passed by, but Matsumoto didn't turn around. Yukimura frowned slightly, and tried again. They weren't very far away from each other. "Hitoshi!"

When Matsumoto didn't turn around the second time, Yukimura paced towards him, carefully peeking over his shoulder (being tall gave him that advantage, ha ha ha). Matsumoto was looking between two packets of seeds. Daisies, and sunflowers... he was murmuring quietly to himself the whole time, as though he couldn't decide which he preferred. Yukimura felt a smile tug at his lips and he wrapped an arm around Matsumoto's waist, the other pulling out one of his earbuds. "Don't you think you have enough daisies, love?"

Poor Matsumoto nearly fainted. The sudden jump in Yukimura's arms made it painfully obvious that Matsumoto was scared out his mind, and Yukimura started to chuckle in light amusement. Once it registered into the smaller male's head that it was _not _a creeper trying to feel him up, but his sadist of a boyfriend, he sighed in momentary relief before turning around to glare at him. "D-Don't do stuff like that! I nearly died seconds ago!"

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again... maybe."

"Seriously!" Matsumoto huffed, picking up the seeds he dropped. "And I was deep in thought too."

"Well? Sunflowers or daisies?"

"What?"

"You want to plant one of them, don't you? Sunflowers, or the daisies?" Yukimura repeated, staring at the gardener with waiting eyes. Matsumoto pursed his lips, tilting his head as he stared between the two packets in his hands. He didn't know which one he'd prefer, to be honest. He really only wanted a few sunflowers, but at the same time, there were _never_ enough daisies. After a long moment of silence, Yukimura gently pulled the packet of daisies out of Matsumoto's hand, setting it back into the stand. "Those sunflowers... would go perfectly with your daisies."

"Seiichi..."

"Just my opinion... but, have you ever grown sunflowers before? Do you need my help?" Yukimura turned to Matsumoto, who wore a surprised look. The blue-eyed gardener then smiled sheepishly. "No... but I think I can do it myself."

Yukimura's hopeful expression fell, and Matsumoto quickly waved his arms. "B-But if you want to come over to check on me, it's okay, I'm fine with that!"

"Really? I'll be sure to come over as often as possible."

Matsumoto laughed, and looked at the back of the seed packet. After a quick skimming of the steps, he nodded. "Yeah... they seem relatively easy to grow."

Yukimura smiled, pinching Matsumoto's cheeks. The gardener may have not wanted help in growing the sunflowers, but Yukimura would still make sure to stop by and check. He didn't voice this one thought in case that Matsumoto would get too flustered, but whenever they gardened together, it was almost as if they were parents caring for their children. It was a strange thought, yes, but it would always cross his mind. He gazed at Matsumoto for a moment before turning around and leaving. "I've got to go now, I'll see you later, flower-boy."

"Bye..." Matsumoto murmured, waving. After Yukimura was out of sight, he pursed his lips. "He's so weird sometimes..."

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**Hiya, hiya! HitmanTargetsYou!**

** Okay, so I think I've got it planned out. Operation SanaYana will be a mini-series not like the others, it's going to be in several different chapters. Since Sanada and Yanagi aren't the most romantic people, I want to try to make the romance seem fluid. **


	32. Pyon! Pyon! Pyo - STOP IT!

The perks about being the president of the gardening club meant that one could hang out around cute, lovely flower-loving girls for long periods of time... except for maybe Matsumoto. No, the girls of the club were going to be the death of him one day, he was sure of it. After being under Yukimura's influence for so long, Matsumoto had begun to crawl out of his shell, and in result, caught the attention of several girls in his club. Juniors, to be exact. And just what did they love doing? Well... at one point, they had applied light makeup onto his face because he was "so~o cute". And tied ribbons and bows into his hair because his hair was "so~o cute". And manicured his nails, combed his hair, gave him nicknames, and made him flower crowns, after flower crowns, after flower crowns. Now, it wasn't to say that Matsumoto exactly despised the female juniors, they were lovely and still his kouhai, but sometimes... sometimes he could swear that they were trying to kill him. But nothing would convince him of that thought more than what was going to happen when he approached the girls again.

He had heard some soft whispers, and light giggling, and when he found the owners of those voices, Matsumoto had seen two girls. One was Hana-chan (who put a flower clip-on into his hair), a rather short brunette with low pigtails and brown eyes, and the other was Aoi-chan, a long black-haired girl, also with brown eyes. Matsumoto approached them cheerfully, and curiously. "What are you two doing? Did you already water the plants?"

"Ah, no, only half of them... but we got distracted! We'll do it right away, Matsu-senpai!" Hana admitted sheepishly. Matsumoto waved his hand, brushing it off. "It's fine. But what were you guys doing? Was it funny?"

"Huh?" Aoi turned to Hana, then to Matsumoto. "We were doing cute animal imitations with our names. A lot of girls had been doing it, so we wanted to do it too. Like... Seto Aoi, wan~!"

Matsumoto had at first thought that she was doing a cat pose, when he realized that it was more of a dog pose. Of course, she said 'wan'. He tilted his head questioningly, and then smiled. "So something like this?"

"Matsumoto Hitoshi..." He raised cupped hands to his head, so that they resembled rabbit ears, and smiled brightly. "... pyon!"

The girls stared at him with wide eyes, blushes on their cheeks. Matsumoto immediately blushed too. "Wh-What?! Did I do it wrong?!"

"No, that was so~o cute! Do it again, Matsu-senpai!"

"Do it again!"

"E-Eh..." Matsumoto feebly raised his hands to his head again. "M-Matsumoto Hitoshi, p-pyon..."

"Kyaaa~!"

.

Matsumoto hurriedly ran down the stairs of the rooftop, trying to be as quiet but as quick as possible. He hadn't rushed through his afternoon gardening, but he made sure to go at a quicker pace, and checked the time often. As Matsumoto began to speed through the hallway, he checked his watch. Yukimura always picked him up around that time. Good, he would have to make sure to avoid him at all costs then. Of everyone to avoid that afternoon, it was HIM. Matsumoto slowed down as soon as he heard footsteps, and hid behind a corner. As the footsteps grew closer, so did... some weird tapping noise. As though someone were texting on their phone. But before Matsumoto could turn off his to be safe, a figure had passed by him... Yukimura.

His eyes widened and Matsumoto went dead still. Now, if only he could just get far enough...

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. _

The low vibrations of Matsumoto's cellphone echoed throughout the silent hall like funeral bells.

Yukimura paused in his steps, and Matsumoto _willed_ him not to turn around desperately. He stared at Yukimura's back with wide ocean-blue eyes, sweating nervously. And when he thought he had been in the clear once he saw Yukimura continuing on his way, that was when all time had gone slow, and Yukimura... turned... his... head. Eye contact had been made. Yukimura blinked in surprise, opening his mouth. "Hito - "

"A~AH, I'M SORRY SEIICHI, I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO DO TODAY PLEASE GO HOME SAFE AND SOUND WITH THE OTHERS, OKAY?!" Matsumoto bursted out, waving his arms wildly. He quickly turned around, dashing off. And that proved to be a fatal mistake. Because if there was anything that Matsumoto had repeatedly learned and always forgot, it was to NEVER RUN FROM AN ATHLETE. Yukimura didn't even need to try to catch up with the smaller male, he had already caught up to him in a few strides. He scooped the gardener up, holding him like he was a rabbit (on which in the deepest parts of his mind, he was convinced that Matsumoto was indeed a rabbit).

Matsumoto writhed and kicked his legs, trying to make Yukimura let go of him. "LET GO, SEIICHI! STOP IT!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Yukimura frowned, setting him down but wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. Matsumoto jumped, and tried again to escape from Yukimura's hold. "I-It's nothing, honestly, I just have something to do at home right now, so - "

"Then allow me to walk you home. Part way, if you're so desperate."

"NO!"

"Why not? I won't let you go until you explain."

"I-I already said that it's nothing! I mean, it's important! I mean, uh - "

Yukimura held the teenager close to his body, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Hitoshi."

There was a moment of silence before Matsumoto sighed, raising his hands to his head in defeat as imaginary tears streamed down his face. "... Pyon."

There was another moment of silence, and Yukimura let go of him out of surprise. "... P-Pyon?"

"IT WAS A GAME AND I LOST DON'T JUDGE ME I'M LOSING MY PRIDE HERE OKAY?!" Matsumoto exclaimed fast-paced, turning around to dash off again. Yukimura quickly reached out to him, grabbing his hand in a flash as he tugged Matsumoto back right where he stood before. "You were playing a game, and now you have to say 'pyon' and do a rabbit pose when someone says your name?"

"Yes! Now let go, Seiichi!" Matsumoto cried, trying to pull out of his grasp. Yukimura stared at the desperate Matsumoto, and _smiled._

Now, to any normal person, whenever they'd see Yukimura smile, they could only see one smile. To anyone who knew the male personally, they'd know that he had many, many types of smile. And at that current moment, Matsumoto had just witnessed his 'I'm-going-to-torture-you-with-a-smile-and-a-song' smile. Matsumoto made one last attempt at pulling away from Yukimura, who immediately frowned and tightened his hold on the beige-haired gardener's hand. "You're being such a fussy rabbit, Hitoshi."

"Pyon!"

"Hitoshi, Hitoshi, Hitoshi."

"Pyon, pyon, pyon!"

"I love you, Hitoshi."

"Pyon!"

Just then, there were more footsteps, and Matsumoto turned around with wide eyes. Sanada and Yanagi had come up to join them. While they had expected to run into them in the hallway, what they _hadn't_ expected was to see Yukimura smiling sadistically as he stubbornly held a jumpy Matsumoto's wrist. Yukimura, too, noticed them and waved cheerfully. "Oh, Genichirou, Renji. Don't mind me, I'm just playing with my _rabbit." _

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S TOR - "

"Hitoshi."

Matsumoto sadly raised his hands to his head. "Pyon..."

Yanagi raised an eyebrow, and he and Sanada exchanged looks. That was when Yanagi turned back to look at Matsumoto, saying out loud, "Matsumoto."

"Pyon! Not you too!"

"And why might Matsumoto - "

"- pyon!"

" - ahem, be saying 'pyon', when his name is announced?" Yanagi questioned, looking to Yukimura for answers. Yukimura poked Matsumoto's stomach, smiling delightfully. "He was playing a game and lost."

"Why doesn't he just not say it? It's not like the players are here to check if he says it. Though, I must admit, to be loyal to the game by doing the punishment, despite the fact that he could've just lied, makes him a bit of a man. You exceed my expectations, Matsumoto." Sanada commented, and Matsumoto tearfully did the rabbit pose. "Pyon. Thank you, Sanada."

"Oh believe me, even if he stopped saying it, I'd _make_ him say it." Yukimura hummed, and he took out his phone. He faced it towards Matsumoto, smiling. "Can I record you doing it? If you let me, I'll stop teasing you."

Matsumoto nodded eagerly. With that, Yukimura started to record. "Hitoshi~"

"Pyon~!"

Yukimura hit the stop button, and saved the lovely video, putting his cell phone back into his pocket. "Yes, I've finally gotten blackmail - er, a cute video of Hitoshi!"

"Pyon! I heard you, you said blackmail! Seiichi, I hate you!" Matsumoto exclaimed, headbutting Yukimura's chest, who only laughed. He was unfazed, because a rabbit's head was too soft to cause any pain. He softly pat Matsumoto's head, kissing it. "Hitoshi, Hitoshi, Hitoshi!"

"P-Pyon, pyon, pyon! Seiichi, you said you'd stop...!"

"Hm... to put it in painfully simple words, I lied! I'll never stop teasing Hitoshi!"

"Pyon! You jerk!"

And as the two continued to go back and forth at each other, Sanada sighed, turning to Yanagi. "Children will be children."

"I believe that a lot of girls had been doing that lately." Yanagi suddenly spoke, perking Sanada's interest. "Doing what?"

"What Matsumoto is doing. When they introduce themselves, they add whatever animal noise they perceive as 'cute' to make themselves seem more fun and extroverted. It's a bit odd, if you ask me." Yanagi replied, gazing at Sanada, who he shook his head. Yanagi smiled softly. "If you still don't get it, they do something like this:

Yanagi Renji..." Yanagi did a cat pose. "... nyan."

Sanada's cheeks flushed red and he quickly turned his head. "... Not you too, Renji."

"Fufu. It was only an example. You should do it too, Sanada, you're always so stoic. Perhaps you'd make more friends"

"One, I am not a girl. And two, I don't believe in friendship." Sanada declared. "What they're doing is tarundoru."

Yanagi smiled, not replying back. It was to be expected that Sanada would say something like that. But for now, it was fun to see Matsumoto's pride as a male being slowly diminished by the ever tortuous Seiichi Yukimura.

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**Thumbs up for the hinted SanaYana! But believe me, writing the two is a real pain in the ass. If they ever seem OOC to you guys, don't be afraid to tell me! Give me tips, and advice! I'm trying my best to write them, but holy bejesus are they difficult characters to grasp! **

**To Yami-The Lord of Darkness, thank you for enjoying the chapter! It means a lot! **


	33. On Boring Days

"Squish... squish... squish..."

"..."

"Squish... squish... squi - "

"Please stop pinching my cheeks, Seiichi."

Yukimura chuckled lightly, smiling at the light-beige haired teen as he tried to finish up on some math homework. Yukimura had just shown up at Matsumoto's door today uninvited, and Matsumoto let him in because... well, Yukimura wasn't going to do anything stupid, right? _Wrong._ The entire day Yukimura had bothered Matsumoto up and down. He wouldn't stop poking and prodding at him whenever they were sitting, trying to steal a kiss when he wasn't looking, teasing him about everything ever, and now he wouldn't stop pinching his cheek when he was trying do his homework.

"But I'm bored, Hitoshi... and you won't do anything with me. You've been denying me the entire day." Yukimura murmured, his brows creasing and his lips pursing to a small pout. Ah, Yukimura's acting skills have gotten scarily better. But, Matsumoto wasn't going to be fazed anymore, Yukimura had tricked him one-too-many times for him to fall for any actors now. Instead, the gardener ignored him, and unbeknownst to the teenager, Yukimura's pout shifted into a real one. The bluenet didn't like being ignored, especially by his own boyfriend.

"You know, I was told that Gen'ichirou was going to be playing tennis today, but Renji's with him. And with Operation SanaYana going on, I don't want to interfere with anything that might support the operation." Yukimura continued, tugging on Matsumoto's sleeve, whom in turn just nodded along.

"Aaah~, you're not even listening..."

"I am..." Matsumoto sighed, turning to look at the bluenet. "If you're so bored, then why don't you help me on this last problem? I can barely concentrate on _you_ when I'm struggling to figure out where what 'n' equals."

Yukimura smiled and leaned close to the gardener, looking at his homework. It was easy algebra... to him, at least. He then plucked a blue pencil out of the pen jar nearby and tapped it on the problem with the most eraser marks. "Is this the one bothering you?"

"Yeah." Matsumoto nodded with a frown. "I didn't get it."

"Well, what do you do first?" He murmured, gazing at his puzzled friend. Matsumoto thought for a bit, and then answered, "Get 'n' by itself?"

"But how do you do it?"

"Um... subtract the fraction?"

Yukimura visibly shook his head. "No... you want to get 'n' by itself, right? Then you'd subtract 4 first, since 'n' is over here."

Matsumoto thought for a bit, before his face visibly lit up and he was beaming so brightly he could've been the sun. He quickly began to solve the problem, and once he was done he slid the paper towards his boyfriend with the biggest grin. "Is this answer right?"

"Yep! That's right!" Yukimura nodded as soon as he checked his work. He patted Matsumoto's head gently, then giving him a soft smile as pulled him close and giving him a soft, loving peck on his forehead. Matsumoto paused in light surprise at the affectionate gesture before placing his own little kiss on the tip of Yukimura's nose. "Thank you, Seiichi."

Yukimura stared at Matsumoto for a moment, wide-eyed with vaguely pink cheeks, then immediately wrapping his arms around him and squeezing tightly as he nuzzled against the gardener's warm neck. "Hitoshiii...~!"

Matsumoto (with a good amount of struggle) placed his homework back into his math folder. With a sigh, he turned his head and planted another kiss onto Yukimura's forehead. "Let's go downstairs and watch something... now _I'm_ bored."

"No."

"Eh?"

"NO." Yukimura repeated firmly, looking up into his lover's ocean-blue eyes. "We're going to stay in here."

"Doing..." Matsumoto gulped. _"... what,_ exactly?"

Yukimura gave him an incredulous look. "What, you ask? Well... you already _know_ the answer to that question, don't you?"

"N-No way! I'm not staying in here with you!" Matsumoto retorted, and immediately got up from his chair, speeding to the door as fast as he could. As expected, Yukimura was out of his own seat as well, and in a few strides he was at the door and blocking the doorknob. He smiled so warmly is was borderline unnerving. "My, my, Matsumoto... last time I checked, you didn't _have_ a choice in this."

"Seiichi... if you don't get away from the door this instant, I'll... I'll..." Matsumoto looked around the room desperately for another escape route, his eyes landing on the window... his _second-story_ window. With a gulp, he looked back at Yukimura. "If you don't get away from the door right this instance, I'll go out the window!"

Yukimura gave him a look of surprise, then laughed. "Fine then... kiss me, and I'll let you go."

"Mm..." Matsumoto pouted as Yukimura leaned forward, closing his eyes and still smiling. Reluctantly, the light-beige haired boy leaned forward on his toes and pressed his lips against the bluenet's own. After a moment of silence, he finally pulled away. "There... are you happy?"

Yukimura opened his eyes and almost smirked. "I was being sincerely honest, but it seems that I have changed my mind."

Matsumoto sighed, and finally gave in. There was no fighting against Yukimura. Instead, he placed his arms around Yukimura's neck, leaning against him as he stared into those violet eyes he fell in love with. "I think I really hate you, Seiichi..."

Yukimura smiled. "... Then prove it."

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**It's been a long time since I've updated this story... wow. Anyways, to those concerned, I have not forgotten Operation SanaYana. In fact, next chapter will be SanaYana. Anyways, thank you for reading and for your support all this time! I love you all! ^^**


	34. The Sunday Scavenger Hunt Fiasco! P1

Afternoon was always Matsumoto's favorite time of day during the summer.

The azure skies couldn't be any more beautiful, and the clouds inched away slowly, minding their own business. The sweet, mixed aroma of all the flowers wafted across his nose as he continued to tend to the new Dwarf Hinoki cypress saplings by the fences. They had just begun to sprout. Most of the plants Matsumoto cared for were really Yukimura's plants, but that didn't mean he couldn't help every now and then. So, he made sure to check if Yukimura had already watered them, then made way to the next plant.

It was in that moment as Matsumoto started to gaze over the marigolds that the rooftop door opened. Standing in the doorway was a rather cheerful Yukimura. He smiled from ear to ear and paced over to where Matsumoto stood. Once he was close enough, Yukimura leaned forward and pecked his cheek in greeting. "What are you doing?", he asked once he pulled away from his lover.

"Me?" Matsumoto laughed. "I'm just checking the plants."

"Ah, good job then. But that's not what I came up here for, actually..." Yukimura mused, his smile softening. "I was wondering if you're free tomorrow."

"Tomorrow...? I believe so."

"Really? Great! Why don't you come to my house? Gen'ichirou and Renji are going to be there as well. We were planning to hang out for a bit, since we've already finished all our homework beforehand. Also, my parents are going to be out, and my sister's staying at her friend's place." Yukimura ran a hand through Matsumoto's light-beige hair and softly chuckled to himself. "Besides, I haven't been able to completely relax lately, so it'd be amazing if I could just spend some time with you guys..."

"Mm... okay, I guess. I'll be there. But on one condition!" Matsumoto exclaimed, furrowing his brows childishly and raising his finger. "No funny business like _demon summoning,_ or... or some occult ritual!"

"I won't do _anything!_ I promise!" Yukimura agreed and he crossed his heart. His lips curved into a small grin. "From the bottom of my heart, okay?"

For some few minutes, Matsumoto stared **intensely** at Yukimura. His fixed gaze pierced deep into Seiichi's deep blue eyes and he searched for any signs of suspicious motives.

But Yukimura on the other hand didn't seem to notice, and if he did he was being _oblivious_ to it, because he still wore that cheerful smile. A second later, Matsumoto ultimately decided that Yukimura had no hidden intentions. With that comforting thought in mind, his lips shaped into a bubbly grin. "Okay, it's a promise, then. I'll be looking forward to it!"

...

The next day Matsumoto woke up rather early. He very quickly remembered his planned stay at Yukimura's home, which pleasantly surprised him (his memory was usually so horrible), and he took a quick shower. Once he finished drying off and returned to his room, he threw on a striped tee of thin material. Over the tee he fitted on pale-denim overall shorts. Matsumoto gazed at his reflection in the bedroom mirror before deciding he looked _at least_ presentable. He then raced out of his bedroom - his hair wasn't even brushed.

Matsumoto first went downstairs to have breakfast with his parents and he quickly finished off his meal. After washing his dishes and brushing his teeth, he watered the garden for some ten-fifteen minutes before running back inside to fetch his charged phone. He then waved goodbye to his parents and sped out the door to Yukimura's home.

It wasn't that long a run, and he made it there quite early. In fact, just as he reached Yukimura's gates, he could see Yanagi was already about to knock on the wooden door. "Yanagi-kun! Good morning! I see you made it here before the planned time too!"

Yanagi turned around, his eyebrows slightly lifted. Once he realized it was Matsumoto he made a small smile. "Good morning, Matsumoto. Yes, I always make it a point to arrive earlier than specifically scheduled."

Matsumoto opened the gate and walked through, then closing it behind him. After locking the gate again, he dashed over to Yanagi's side. "What are we going to be doing? Did Seiichi tell you?"

"Unfortunately, no. But we usually just watch a movie and chat. Oh, of course, we play tennis as well." Yanagi casually replied. He then turned back to the door and knocked four precise times. On the other side were voices, then approaching footsteps. At once the door swung open and standing there was a beaming Yukimura. He greeted Yanagi and stepped aside to let him in. He then finally noticed Matsumoto, who had been standing behind Yanagi.

Yukimura blinked. "Hitoshi! I didn't know you were with Renji!"

"Actually, I arrived just before he knocked on the door..." Matsumoto answered with a flick of his wrist. In any case, Yukimura was clearly pleased with Matsumoto's presence. "Well, come in already!"

The bluenet pulled Matsumoto inside and ushered him to the living room, where Yanagi was sitting on the couch next to Sanada. The T.V. was turned on and on the screen was a movie. Matsumoto had never seen it before, but it looked like a classic foreign film. Yukimura sat himself down next to Sanada and then eagerly pat down on the vacant spot beside him. "Sit down, Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto did as requested. He took a moment to get himself comfortable, then looked at the screen. It really was an old classic if the movie was shot in black and white. He didn't ask what they were watching, however, and simply stared at the screen. The last thing he wanted was to feel left out of the group of strange boys he was currently sitting with. But, oddly enough, forty minutes into the movie and Matsumoto found himself entertained. He still had no idea what was going on (he couldn't even understand the western language being spoken), but at least it was funny... somewhat. A few more minutes later and Matsumoto was getting hungry.

"Seiichi, I'm hun - " He stopped mid-sentence as soon as he turned to Yukimura. The bluenet was sleeping, his little baby breaths barely audible. And when Matsumoto leaned forward to look at Sanada and Yanagi, he had found that Sanada was also seemingly napping. Yanagi didn't fail to notice the two teenagers had fallen fast asleep and at once placed a finger on his lips. Then, he whispered, "Matsumoto, you'll need to be quiet and listen to me, okay?"

Matsumoto's brows perked in interest. "Hm? Why?"

Yanagi smiled a strangely devious smile. "I just want to play a little trick on them."

...

When Yukimura stirred and woke from his little nap, he stared at the blank T.V. screen; he wondered for a moment what he'd been doing before he had fallen asleep.

That was when a second later he remembered that he'd been watching a movie with Matsumoto, Sanada, and Yanagi. The T.V. was now turned off, Yukimura finally noticed, but he wasn't particularly suspicious. Perhaps Matsumoto turned it off. He knew how much of an energy-saver that boy was.

Yukimura yawned loudly and raised a hand to rub his heavy eyelids... but the feeling of _cold metal_ pressing against his skin immediately opened his drowsy eyes. He jolted up in his seat, his blue-violet eyes several inches wide with shock.

His wrist was _handcuffed._

Now, Yukimura wasn't one to swear. This, though, _this..._ all it took was one look and his mouth was already open.

"What the _fuck?", _he exclaimed shamelessly. Then, his gaze shifted over to the figure next to him... and it was a sleeping Sanada. Oh, and yes, Sanada was _handcuffed_ to him. To make matters worse, it suddenly dawned onto Yukimura that Matsumoto and Yanagi were absolutely nowhere to be seen.

Needless to say, Yukimura was _pissed. _

* * *

**A/N:  
**

**Uh-oh, Matsumoto and Yanagi are definitely gonna get it when Yukimura catches them... if he can! XD**


	35. The Sunday Scavenger Hunt Fiasco! P2

When Seiichi Yukimura came to realize the situation he was in, the first thing he did was wake Sanada. All it took was a few shakes of the shoulder before his eyes fluttered open. "U-Urgh... Yukimura?"

"Wake up, Sanada." Yukimura ordered. "Right now I do not have the patience to wait for you to adjust."

The abnormally low pitch in Yukimura's voice was all it took to get Sanada wide awake. He promptly sat up and rubbed his eyes in confusion. What was going on? Why was Yukimura so mad? Was it because he fell asleep during the movie? After all, this wouldn't have been the _first_ time Yukimura got furious at him for "not appreciating" western culture.

"What's going on, Yukimura?" He murmured a tad bit impatiently, because even Sanada wasn't a happy camper after being woken from a nap - though, he was more wise in hiding his irritation.

But it was only a few seconds later after questioning his friend that he felt it. His eyes traveled down to his wrist - there, clasped around it, was one half of a _handcuff._ The other half was closed around Yukimura's wrist.

Ah.

Now he understood.

"We've been handcuffed together, Renji and Hitoshi are missing, and they left us only a letter." Yukimura explained in a rancorous tone sharp enough to slice diamonds in half. He leaned forward and picked up a notebook that was left on the glass table for them to see. "Here. Read it hurriedly."

Sanada took the notebook from Yukimura and quickly skimmed over the familiar writing. It was Yanagi's handwriting - he could tell from how neat it was. Yanagi's writing always looked like computer font.

**To my friends Seiichi and Gen'ichirou:**

**By the time you read this letter, me and Matsumoto would have already left. It will be left up to the both of you to find our whereabouts. I'll give you the entire day to find us - but if you don't... well, in simple words, you lose. It's not a very dramatic ending, however... I know how much you hate to _lose,_ Seiichi.**

**But worry not, I left plenty of clues for the two of you have a chance at catching us.**

**Now then, Matsumoto would also like to leave a small notice:**

_**Um, hi guys.**_

_**Sorry that we're doing this. But it kinda sounds like fun! ^_^ Good luck, Seiichi! Sanada-kun!**_

_**Oh yeah, and uh... the first clue is under the bed. **_

"That was... incredibly straight-forward. If Matsumoto's the one giving us the clues, this whole manhunt should be easy." Sanada murmured. He placed the paper back down on the table and gazed at Yukimura. "Well? Shall we check the beds then?"

"Of course. By process of elimination, it's most likely under my bed." replied Yukimura. He sighed irritably to himself as he stood up, tugging on the handcuff in a notion that Sanada stand up as well. Sanada promptly obeyed and followed behind his captain. The two made their way to his bedroom in a brisk pace and once there, Yukimura pulled him towards the bed. "I'm going down now."

The bluenet lay against the wooden floor and Sanada was kneeling down next to him. "Do you see anything?"

"A... piece of paper. Something is on it, but it's a bit difficult to clarify what. I'm getting it out now." Yukimura replied through grit teeth. He stretched out an arm and reached for the paper. He could just barely reach it with his fingertips, but nonetheless he caught hold of it. He slowly inched out from under the bed, sliding the paper out with him. On top of it was a gleaming silver key.

"Could this be..." Sanada grabbed it and he studied it carefully. "May I try this on the handcuffs?"

"Be my guest."

The taller male wiggled the key into the keyhole and took a moment to figure out which angle would undo the cuffs. A second later there was the holy sound of a lock clicking out of place and the boys in the room rejoiced silently. God truly must exist.

Yukimura quickly released his wrist from the metal band and rubbed at the skin with a relieved smile. "Thank goodness... good job, Gen'ichirou."

"I didn't really do anything. But, I am just as delighted to be free as you are." replied Sanada. He took off the handcuffs and threw it across the room. "Now then, what does the note say?"

Yukimura picked up the discarded sheet of paper and read aloud:

**"Congratulations! You've found the key and the clue, Seiichi! Gen'ichirou! Of course me and Matsumoto did not plan to keep the both of you handcuffed the entire day, that would've been just awful. At least I have some decency, hm? Fufu. Anyways, I wouldn't want to waste your time with this letter. If you want to find us immediately, follow our trail into town. Who knows, perhaps Akaya might help you, if you happen to find him."**

Before a single word could leave Sanada's lips Yukimura was crumpling the paper in his hands. There was an indescribable look of bitter fury etched into his features as his aura burned like hellfire, and all Sanada could do was nervously watch his fuming peer. As the paper turned to a pitiful little ball in Yukimura's merciless fist the teenager smiled angelically. "Aah... Akaya is at the arcades, isn't he?"

"Er... I imagine that he'll be there."

"Well..." Seiichi stood up on his feet, the malicious smile still firm on his lips. "To the arcades then, Sanada."

Sanada couldn't help but to pray that Yanagi and Matsumoto (heck, even the unfortunate Kirihara) survived the levels of hell that Yukimura would condemn them to.

_Without a hint of mercy._

* * *

\- 9:15 a.m. -

* * *

Finding the specific arcade Kirihara was residing in was easier than Sanada would have expected.

After all, the ominous chill that oozed heavily from his blue-haired friend allowed for the crowd to part. Since there was no crowd to squeeze through, finding the exact location was much easier.

Inside the arcade was still wild and incredibly unbearable, unfortunately. From all over the place children and teenagers alike made inhuman noises that were _supposed_ to be laughs and cheers of fun. Yukimura hid away his rage and seemed not at all perturbed by the rowdy atmosphere. The only thing set in his mind was _finding that damn Kirihara._

And it actually wasn't all that difficult.

Kirihara was one of the louder customers. Besides, his mop of seaweed hair was pretty noticeable anyways.

In a split second, Yukimura was already at Kirihara's side. But, it was very apparent the onyx-headed teenager didn't even seem to notice through his intense gaming. Not until a few minutes later did Yukimura finally lose his wearing patience. He set a hand on Kirihara's shoulder and leaned down to his ear, whispering before the boy could even react, _"Boo."_

"Waaa_AAAH!"_ Kirihara visibly jolted from the scare. In the moment that he let go of the joystick his opponent pummeled him to a loss, leaving those who turned their heads towards the sound of his cry to watch his defeat happen. Kirihara, devastated (also humiliated), turned around irately. "What the hell do you - "

The emerald-eyed boy stopped as soon as he started. His captain was standing right behind him... wearing a very, _very_ familiar smile. Yes, a smile that he always gave when someone was about to be buried 6 feet underground.

"Hello, Akaya... I'm sorry, but I need to pull you away from your game for a moment." Yukimura began. But he was interrupted as a new voice piped up from the other side of the arcade game, tearing their attention towards it.

"Whoa, I just _slammed_ you Akaya!", proudly boasted a redhead chewing bubblegum. Ah, of course, it could only be Marui. Yukimura smiled eerily at the new find as he wrapped one hand firmly around Akaya's wrist. "My, my... Bunta, you're here too? Wonderful."

Marui noticeably gulped. "Er... c-captain. I, uh... um... hi?", he sputtered uselessly as his amethyst eyes darted desperately around the room for an exit. Yukimura would not have it though. "Since you're here, you can answer some of our questions. Me and Gen'ichirou are in a bit of a rush, so it's vital that we get as much information out of you two as quickly as possible."

"O-Oh... really? Um... I don't think that we'd be able to - "

_"Bunta._ You are _wasting_ my time."

"S-Sure! Whatever you need, Seiichi!" Marui smiled nervously. He sent Kirihara a hopeless look and stood up from his seat. As he walked to his captain he prayed heavily to all the gods that he would have at least a nice burial ceremony.

Coming out unscathed was only but a fool's dream when it came to his highness, Seiichi Yukimura.

Sanada sighed and stood next to Marui, keeping a firm hold on his jacket collar. "No funny business, or you'll regret it with your life."

"Of course, Sanada."

The group of four headed outside, the two captives being held in a death-grip by their captors. Escape was no longer an option, as Yukimura and Sanada would kill them soon enough if they fled. As soon as they were standing outside of the arcade, Yukimura let go of Kirihara. He leaned against the wall - the smile of death still firm on his lips. "So... have you seen Renji and Hitoshi around? Me and Gen'ichirou are looking for the two..."

"O-Oh... Ya-Yanagi-senpai? And Matsu-senpai?" Kirihara repeated. There was something in his eyes - something wild. He definitely knew a thing or two... and Yukimura was going to find out _what._ "Yes. Might you... _know_ something we don't, Akaya?"

Kirihara gulped and exchanged a frightened expression with Marui. "Nope. Nope, I don't. I don't know anything about Yanagi-senpai and Matsu-senpai. I have no clue where they are, and what they're doing, nope nope."

"That sounds very suspicious, Akaya." Sanada murmured with narrow eyes.

"I'm not lying! I don't know anything, and n-neither does Marui-senpai!" Kirihara squeaked. An eerily wide grin spread across Yukimura's face as he turned to point his steely gaze at the redhead. "Well... is that true, Bunta?"

Marui nodded his head furiously. "Yep, yep!"

"Oh really?" Sanada murmured. He turned to Yukimura, who gave him an approving nod. Sanada then looked both Kirihara and Marui in the eyes - the iciness in them making the two freeze. "I will give you both a hundred years worth of laps if you continue to lie."

At that, Kirihara exchanged yet another look with Marui. The two gazed at each other with wide eyes for a second - a silent but urgent conversation through facial expressions - before both eventually sighed in defeat simultaneously. Kirihara was the first to open his mouth as he let out a short and awkward cough, his eyes still trained on Marui. "Well... er, you see, captain... earlier, Yanagi-senpai came here with Matsu-senpai."

"And?"

"And uh... he kinda told us to give you two a clue when you guys came." He finished. Marui nodded his head. "So uh... yeah. That's all we know. There's nothing else, I _swear."_

"So?" Yukimura tilted his head expectantly. "Where's this 'clue' then?"

The two boys traded expressions again. This time it was Marui who spoke first. "We, uh... well, we don't have it." He stated bluntly. There was truth gleaming in his eyes and Yukimura could see it quite clearly. He sighed tiredly while pulling himself off of the wall. If his teammates did not have the third clue to Yanagi and Matsumoto's whereabouts, that must have meant that...

"Renji is going to be coming back, isn't he?" Sanada said it before Yukimura could. Still, Yukimura knew something was off about that conclusion...

"Y-You guessed it, vice-captain!" Kirihara chirped almost too fast. He was still sweating. And Marui was still tapping his feet impatiently.

"I don't get it..." murmured Yukimura suddenly. His eyes went dark like black storm clouds as he stared daggers at his two teammates; there was so much ferocity in his stare that the pair begun to tremble. "... why would they come here, only to leave again and come back to finally drop off the clue?"

"U-U-Uh... they uh... I think they were going back to change? Or they forgot the clue?" Marui feebly suggested, raising his shoulders in an attempt to shrug. Yukimura didn't believe his answer. "Why would they need to change? It would only take so much longer... and knowing Renji..."

Sanada's eyes widened in sudden realization. Of course, Yanagi and Matsumoto already came here.

"They haven't left yet. They're somewhere inside." Yukimura smirked, getting to the answer this time before Sanada. He smiled sweetly at his quivering teammates and ruffled Kirihara's messy hair. "Thank you for helping us! I'll reduce your sentence to 100 laps instead of the original 200!"

"E-Eh...?!" Kirihara could feel his soul leaving his body as he slumped against the wall. Marui sat down next to him, trying not to let the tears fall. "Better than 200, right...?"

"That's the spirit, Bunta!" Yukimura sang as he begun to open the arcade doors. "Me and Sanada have to busy off now, so enjoy the rest of your weekend!"

They rushed into the arcade again, searching around for anyone looking remotely similar to a tall brunet and short blonde. But within the crowds of shouting teenagers and crying children, not a single soul in that building resembled their targets. Yukimura was beginning to doubt his conclusion when his eyes just so happened to flick over to a vacant spot.

There was a door. A door that was labelled 'MEN'S RESTROOM'.

Just then that very door opened, and stepping out was only someone they knew very well.

"Jackal!" Sanada exclaimed. Honestly, how was he saying these things before Yukimura could?

Their dark-skinned friend noticed them rather quickly, and a nervous smile crossed his face. "A-Ah! Captain! Sanada! What a surprise to see you two here!"

Yukimura sped up to him impatiently. He was in no mood for games anymore and if he did not find those two boys this instant, _the entire world_ was going to pay.

"Renji and Hitoshi. Where. _NOW."_

"E-Eh? Yanagi and Matsumoto-kun?" Jackal blinked. His expression was nonchalant but the slight quiver in his voice gave away his fear. "Oh, they're in the bathroom - "

In one fluid movement the Brazilian was quite literally picked up and handed to a bewildered Sanada. Once he wasn't standing between the bluenet and the door, Yukimura practically ripped the door open and stormed inside.

"RENJI YOU ARE SO GOING TO - "

Then he abruptly stopped mid-threat.

Empty.

The damn restroom was _empty._ Every single stall was open and _empty._

The only thing left that served as proof of their stay was a small note taped to the wall. Yukimura snatched it off and skimmed over the neat handwriting (curse that damn brunet, curse him).

**Oh, and you were so close too! If you had only gotten here a second earlier, you and Gen'ichirou could have caught us. Well, you still have the rest of the day, fufu. **

**Anyways, Matsumoto-kun was in the mood for a nice walk outside. I think your favorite botanical garden is open on weekends. Perhaps he'd want to go there.**

**Oh, it seems that I'm getting distracted. I apologize. **

That was it. The note ended there. It was painfully short, simple, and a waste of ink. But, no matter how vague it was, it was at least enough for Yukimura to figure out there next whereabouts. And once he got his hands on those two...

"They left out the window?"

Yukimura turned to look at his friend. With a wrathful scowl, he crushed the note into a small little ball. "What does it _look_ like? Do you see them standing here right now?"

"N-No..."

"Exactly." He threw the ball at the wall, watching as it ricocheted off the polished tile and landed into a nearby trashcan. "But I know where they are."

"Where?"

"Just follow me." He murmured, a dangerous look in his steely blue eyes. Sanada almost gulped.

Oh yes, not even prayers would save Yanagi and Matsumoto now.


	36. The Sunday Scavenger Hunt Fiasco! P3

For the longest time, Matsumoto had been running. He'd been running from Sanada and Yukimura—correction, Sanada and a very _murderous_ Yukimura.

Admittedly, from the very moment he handcuffed Sanada to Yukimura, Matsumoto regretted the decision to initiate this whole "scavenger hunt" thing that Yanagi started. He was excited, yes, and very much wanted to be the one messing with Yukimura this time around, but when he stopped to think about it he realized that by doing this he was practically signing up for **death.**

After all, this was _Yukimura_ they were messing with.

Yukimura acted docile and friendly enough to fool the common man into thinking he was harmless, but in reality, if he wanted to, he could easily become savage in a millisecond. His insults were always on the tip of his tongue and were _always_ sharp enough to leave the deepest of wounds. But it wasn't his insults that people should've been scared of, though, it was _him._

Matsumoto shivered at the thought of his boyfriend catching him before the time limit. No—he shivered at the thought of even _returning_ to him. He was positive that no matter what the outcome to this game was Yukimura would probably still punish him for running off with Yanagi. Though the bluenet didn't look it, he was actually quite the possessive boyfriend, and he didn't appreciate the fact that his best friend had run off with _his_ lover.

"Matsumoto?"

Matsumoto's shoulders twitched at the disembodied sound of his name and he panicked for a moment, before finally connecting that calm tone of voice with Yanagi's. Once realizing this he calmed down and allowed his tense muscles to ease back into rest. With a soft sigh of relief he turned around and pressed a hand against his racing heart, grinning warily at the brunet.

"Ya-Yanagi-kun…" he murmured with a hint of relief, "You scared me. For a moment I mistook you for Seiichi."

Yanagi smiled as he handed him an aluminum can with a large logo saying "PONTA" printed onto it. Matsumoto examined the can carefully and noted that the soda was also grape-flavored; it wasn't a bad choice of beverage, though Yanagi could have chosen something stronger than grape's mild flavor.

"Oh please, Matsumoto, I don't even sound like Seiichi." Yanagi smiled humorously as he grabbed hold of Matsumoto's arm, helping the beige-blonde to his feet. "The train is about to leave now. We should hurry, lest you want Gen'ichirou and Seiichi to catch up."

Another chill ran like lightening down Matsumoto's spine as he thought of the punishments to come. Without another second of hesitation he hastily followed Yanagi onto the train.

_As if I'd let Seiichi catch up with me now!_

* * *

Or so Matsumoto thought.

Once he and Yanagi stepped foot into the botanical gardens, the same one that Yukimura had taken him for their "first date", he found himself unconsciously wishing that Yukimura were there with him instead of Yanagi.

The sights of all the lovely tulips (all so red and white and yellow), daisies, lavenders, and other colorful wildflowers brought a sense of nostalgia and comfort to his thumping heart; the aroma of sweet nectar sent his head into a daze and he was again reminded of Seiichi.

His cupid lips the color of pale roses, his blue-violet eyes as vibrant as hydrangeas, his blue wavy locks lush and glossy and fragrant with fresh rosemary.

Matsumoto released a soft sigh under his breath as his head tilted with the direction of the breeze. He closed his eyes as the bittersweet—not to mention, _embarrassing_—memories of Seiichi's first confession began coming back to him like a photobook. The mellowness of his soft laughter caught Yanagi's attention and the brunet gazed at him curiously.

"Might you be kind enough to share what is making you laugh like that?"

Matsumoto smiled ruefully at the other teenager, scratching his pink cheeks in the same sheepish manner as he replied, "E-Eh? It's not anything funny, really… it's just that this is where Seiichi confessed to me. I ended up ditching him in the end, though." With another weak laugh, he added, "Now that I think about it, I must have been very troublesome for Seiichi."

A light smile touched Yanagi's mouth as he said, "You were. Looking back on it, there was a small period of time earlier where Seiichi would come to me ranting about some boy who wouldn't take his confession because of his modesty. At first I thought he was talking about Gen'ichirou, but now I see it was clearly you."

The beige-blonde's mouth twitched into an awkward grin of sorts as he thought about the way Yukimura would look at him sometimes. Those times were rare, but there would be moments when Matsumoto would catch Yukimura staring at him; admiration, awe, and strangely enough, relief, reflected deep inside those dark-blue eyes of his.

"Sometimes I still become surprised that Yukimura ever fell for someone as simple as me…" he admitted ruefully, his shoulders quirking up as faint shade of pink colored his freckle-dotted cheeks. "I mean, I certainly don't regret accepting his confession, and I hope to the Gods that he feels the same way, but it all seems a bit unreal, doesn't it?"

Yanagi tilted his head as he gazed at Matsumoto. "No… it doesn't."

Matsumoto blinked and whipped his head towards Yanagi in surprise. "Huh? It doesn't?"

"No." Yanagi shook his head. "I personally don't care about Seiichi's love life; he can fall in love with who he chooses. But if you really want my opinion, I believe that you are a fitting match with Seiichi. I can't really explain how, but I suppose it's because you, like tennis, give him life."

Matsumoto stared at Yanagi for a moment, then allowing a wide grin to break across his face. "Really? If that's the case, then I guess I shouldn't doubt our relationship anymore."

Yanagi didn't reply back, but the miniscule smile on his lips told Matsumoto enough.

As the two boys walked further into the gardens, Matsumoto continued to study Yanagi's composed expression, in hopes of figuring out his mysterious character. And as he stared, the realization that Yanagi was actually quite the pretty boy slowly crept over him. Vibrant brown hair that flowed gently with the breeze, pale skin, thin lips, long lashes; he really was the ideal Japanese man.

Well—er, technically teenager.

A small frown etched itself onto Matsumoto's face as he also realized that Sanada, too, was fairly handsome. And so were the rest of the tennis regulars.

… How did he ever surround himself with so many attractive people?

"Is something the matter, Matsumoto? You've been staring at me for quite some time." Yanagi suddenly said, breaking Matsumoto out of his thoughts. The beige-blonde jumped in shock and he looked at his surroundings frantically.

"H-H-Huh?! Eh?! Was it obvious?!" he stuttered, mentally cursing himself for being so obvious. "W-Well, I was just—uh, curious, y'know, about how you… er, felt about Sanada?"

_Wow, just make it worse then, Hitoshi! Freaking idiot!_

Yanagi raised an eyebrow and gave the beige-blonde a quizzical look, however said nothing about his strange behavior. Instead, he replied, "He's a respectable friend. Why do you ask?"

Matsumoto blinked several times as he scratched at his chin, the weakest of laughs trailing out of his lips as he did so. With a straight-forward answer like that, _Operation SanaYana_ was going to become impossible. He then glanced back at Yanagi and answered, albeit nervously, "I-I was just curious…"

Yanagi, again, raised an eyebrow in question. But again, he said nothing.

"Y-You know, Sanada's cool and all… haven't you ever thought about how _cool_ and _muscly_ he is?" Matsumoto continued, the forced grin on his face stretching to lengths that should have been impossible for the human body. "I mean, the thought crosses my mind every now and then…"

"I've thought about how strong and admirable he is. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"O-Oh yeah… of course…!"

"Fufu. You are certainly a strange one, Matsumoto." Yanagi chuckled placidly as he stopped to regard an impressive pot of lilacs. Matsumoto shared the brunet's laugh as he stepped wandered further into the greenhouse. It was humid; the mild smell of wet soil overpowering the saccharine aroma of flowers.

"Matsumoto-san, do you plan on coming to see Rikkai at Nationals?"

Yanagi's sudden question caught Matsumoto by surprise, and the beige-blonde turned around with a glint of curiosity shining bright in his ocean eyes. He tilted his head towards his shoulder as he asked, "I don't really have a choice, since I assume Seiichi would want me to watch him. Why?"

The corner of Yanagi's lip tugged into a wry grin. "… Even though you are probably already aware of this, Rikkai isn't the most gracious of schools when it comes to tennis. To be specific, we regulars are not _kind_ when we are on the courts. We… well, in blunt words, we become demons, and Seiichi is the king. The safety and well-being of our opponents is not our priority—and… I suppose there is no other way of saying this, but Seiichi is not as sympathetic as you think he is.

"If you plan to come see us at Nationals, and if you plan to keep being in a relationship with Seiichi, you must first accept that tennis will always be his number one. I know your type, Matsumoto, you are kind and empathetic. You care more for others than yourself; if you were to see just how cruel Seiichi can become, you wouldn't be able to accept him. And if that were the case, you would be rejecting Seiichi. If you stand in his way, he…"

"I know. I know that between me and tennis, tennis probably comes first for him." Matsumoto murmured, the sardonic smile on his face surprising Yanagi to some extent. It looked unusual on him.

"I've always been somewhat aware of Seiichi's cruelty. I mean, after all, he fought tooth-and-nail with his illness, against the advice of all his doctors. He was always told to give up on tennis; that tennis was only a lost cause for someone as sickly as him. Still, Seiichi never gave up. He was so dedicated he dragged himself through hell; he did everything he could to overcome his worst obstacle—_himself._ And only the Gods will know just how much pain he went through to gain back his strength. He risked his life on a surgery that only had a 50% chance of success. He… did so much for tennis. And for that, I respect him. Even if all he sees is victory.

"Still, if he is as cruel as you say he is, I want to be able to decide for myself. I don't want to wait for the day my feelings become his next obstacle; I want to decide now. This way, we can finally determine if whether or not we really are compatible."

There was a moment of silence between the junior high students as they allowed the tension to sink in and anchor down to the earth.

But before Matsumoto could say anything, Yanagi had beat him to it.

"You really are troublesome, Matsumoto." He smiled, somewhat sadly. "Even though you said you wouldn't doubt your relationship with Seiichi, you still question whether or not the two of you are congruent."

Matsumoto's eyes widened at the realization of this, and feelings of immense guilt washed over him.

"I guess I still have a lot of growing to do, huh?" he chuckled ruefully, scratching at the back of his head. "I also have a lot of thinking to do, too."

Yanagi had opened his mouth to add something else, but before he could utter another word, very _loud_ footsteps—loud footsteps that were approaching them at breakneck speed for that matter—stole their attention.

When Matsumoto reflexively turned towards the sound his eyes widened and his heart literally stopped beating.

Running towards the duo was _Seiichi Yukimura_ and he was most definitely _pissed._

* * *

**a/n:**

**I am so sorry, this went from funny to serious in a split second. But hey, the love birds need a conflict of some sort. Also, I need to get to Nationals already. **

**Well, thanks you guys, for the 99 favorites! Once this fic reaches 100, I'll post a poll and write a (long) oneshot for whichever prompt receives the most votes. **


	37. The Sunday Scavenger Hunt Fiasco! P4

It was an almost surreal sight.

Never had Matsumoto ever once thought in his life that he'd accept death so easily.

The sight of the tennis club's captain, Seiichi Yukimura, sprinting at them at full speed seemed like a dream—well, maybe more of a nightmare. If Matsumoto were in the right state of mind, he'd have thought it was a nightmare. And as the blue-haired boy grew closer at quite the alarming speed, the reality of the situation slapped him in the face and body slammed him to the ground—it was truly starting to become a cruel nightmare come to life.

"Oh… he found us a lot faster than I thought he would." Yanagi began, surprising surprised yet still so at ease. Matsumoto, on the other hand, let out an inhumane screech that sounded of fear and despair. In the spur of the moment, he clamped a hand around Yanagi's wrist and begun running forward.

"MATSUMOTO HITOSHI—JUST _WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"_ hollered the angry captain, the sight of _his_ boyfriend holding someone else's hand (alright, wrist, but it was still the same thing in his eyes and he would not tolerate anyone but _him_ being touched by _his_ boyfriend) making him burn with fury and (admittedly) jealousy.

Again, Matsumoto realized his mistake a little too late, and he halted his racing feet as he stared at the hand that held Yanagi's wrist in horror.

Oh _Gods,_ what had he done.

"Ah, look, Gen'ichirou has trapped us in."

Matsumoto looked ahead as he saw Sanada quickly block the exit of the greenhouse, huffing and puffing out of breath. He must have run a long way to get to the other side of the greenhouse on time.

"Look, now you're trapped! Ha ha! Who's the loser now, Renji?" Yukimura beamed as he slowed to a stop, standing triumphantly with his hands firm on his hips and legs spaced apart. The smug grin on his face was akin to that of a child that'd just won a small race. "I've been here numerous times before; I know this place like the back of my hand! Sucks to be you, doesn't it? HA HA HA."

Matsumoto peeked at Yanagi's calm expression, gripping the back of his shirt tightly as he tugged on it.

"H-Hey… what are we gonna do? He's gonna kill us!" the beige-blonde whispered harshly, blue-eyes darting back between Yukimura's self-satisfied smirk and Gen'ichirou's weary frown—though far from being relenting.

Matsumoto gulped as he looked around for a suitable exit, unfortunately being unable to find such a place. With a small guttural cry from the deepest part of his throat, the thought of surrendering to the captain and vice-captain made him queasy on his feet.

"Oh no… I feel sick." He muttered as he clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling the disgusting sensation of bile rising from his stomach to his throat, choking him on the spot.

"H-Hey…" Yukimura began warily, taking a step forward, "Hitoshi, you really don't look so good—"

Before Yukimura could finish his sentence, Hitoshi Matsumoto gave in to his body's desire and pleasantly released the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

For the first time in his life, the beige-blonde had truly wanted to die.

* * *

"Honestly! I… you… Hitoshi!"

Yukimura couldn't even finish his sentence as he continued to wipe away at the lips of his boyfriend with a wet handkerchief, while said boyfriend kept squirming and letting out small strangled cries that he expected Yukimura to magically understand. The blue-haired boy huffed as he shushed the beige-blonde with a quick peck on the lips.

After all, it was probably his fault for stressing out Matsumoto to that point.

Yanagi had already apologized numerous times, but still, Yukimura knew that somewhere deep down that Matsumoto wouldn't have puked if it weren't for Yukimura's immaturity at that moment.

He pulled the handkerchief away from Matsumoto's face as he gestured towards the sink. "Rinse out your mouth again, Hitoshi."

"No!"

"Do it!"

"I don't want to!"

"If you don't, I won't kiss you ever again!"

That got Hitoshi panicking, and he quickly turned on the sink, letting his cupped hands become full with the running sink water before streaming it into his mouth. As he begun to gargle, Yukimura released a soft sigh and looked down at his watch.

It was only the afternoon. It seemed that Yanagi's little game had come to an early end.

At least one good thing came out of this conclusion.

"Seiichi!" Hitoshi suddenly cried, looking at the blue-haired boy with wide horror-filled eyes. "I accidentally swallowed the water!"

Sometimes Yukimura wondered if the boy he was dating was really fourteen, or if he was _four._

He huffed as he turned the water on again, and gestured to it. "Do it again, then."

"B-But Seiichi!"

"Do it!"

"Eeh… you're so mean!" he muttered under his breath as he repeated his gestures, gargling impatiently.

Matsumoto's simple-mindedness may have border-lined pure stupidity, but he was still Yukimura's cute little boyfriend—honestly, those little round cheeks and pouty eyes alone could give him diabetes. With another soft sigh, he tilted his head and gazed at the adorable face of his lover. Though the urge to kiss his adorably puffed out cheeks was driving him insane, Yukimura held himself back as he allowed Matsumoto to finish gargling the water.

Suddenly, his cheeks went from puffed to flat, and his ocean-blue eyes went wide with shock—though that shock would later shift into utter panic.

Again, Matsumoto whipped his head back towards Yukimura, and he said one thing:

"Seiichi—I swallowed the water!"

From outside the bathroom door, Sanada and Yanagi could hear the clamorous commotion of the couple, though neither felt the need to assess the situation. Whatever happened in the bathroom, _stayed_ in the bathroom.

"They're always so rambunctious whenever they're together, aren't they?" the brunet commented, a tiny smile stretching on his face. Sanada glanced at him and let out a heavy sigh as he said, "Sometimes I wonder just how old those two really are. It's like babysitting children."

"Fufu, you're always correct, Gen'ichirou."

Sanada sent Yanagi a disapproving glare as he added, "You're one to talk."

A low mellow chuckle left from Yanagi's thin lips as he turned away, raising a hand to cover his mouth. Still, Gen'ichirou caught the melodious sound, but said nothing about it. There was nothing particularly annoying about it anyways; Yanagi's soft laughter had a sort of charm to it, similar to quiet wind chimes.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and Yukimura came storming out with Matsumoto trailing meekly behind him, the entire front of his shirt drenched.

"Honestly! How old are you?! Unable to gargle water—how do you even brush your teeth?!"

"Uh—"

"It was a _rhetorical_ question."

"Huh? Oh…"

With another heavy sigh, Yukimura set his hands onto his hips and looked between his beige-blonde boyfriend and brown-haired friend. The two didn't look the _slightest_ bit guilty for forcing him and Sanada into their silly little game of hide-and-seek or whatever; if anything, they were apathetic to their anger.

Surely, this wasn't going to go unnoticed.

"So…" Yukimura began as a wide grin crept eerily onto his face, "What kind of punishment shall I bestow upon the both of you?"

The two boys (yes—surprisingly even Yanagi) gulped as Yukimura stroked his chin thoughtfully, all the possibilities running through his mind. He didn't want their penalty to be too light, otherwise they'd never learn from their mistake; however, no other punishment seemed moderate enough to both teach them a lesson and scar them for life.

"Well… why don't we just decide Yanagi's on the court tomorrow, Sanada?" Yukimura offered, a sadistic glint shining bright in his violet eyes. Sanada shrugged as he also turned to gaze at Yanagi. "I can't say that I mind. But what about Matsumoto?"

Matsumoto's shoulders jumped and he blinked rapidly, his little head whipping left to right between Sanada and Yukimura. Was this it? Was he going to be brutally executed by his very own lover? Or tortured by the vice-captain under the steely eyes of Yukimura?

Oh Gods!

"Well… I think I've got the perfect idea." Yukimura hummed as he gestured at Yanagi. "Why don't you and Sanada go on a date, Yanagi? I think it's only fair that I have a turn in running around the city with Hitoshi. After all…" a dark look shadowed over his face as his grin stretched at impossible lengths, "… _we're_ the ones actually dating, of course." 

Yanagi glanced at Matsumoto and gave him an apologetic smile.

_'I'm sorry this all backfired!'_

Matsumoto smiled back.

_'Seiichi doesn't like losing remember? This ending was only inevitable.'_

"Well, I suppose we should be on our way then, Sanada…" Yanagi said, turning around and leaving the couple to themselves. Sanada quickly followed after the brunet, only giving Matsumoto a last-second glance. In his deep brown eyes, there was something akin to pity. But, Matsumoto supposed he could have easily imagined it. This wouldn't be the first time his eyes played tricks on him.

Suddenly Yukimura's arm was latched tightly around Matsumoto's, the light smirk on his lips ensuring the beige-blonde that escape was only a fool's dream.

"Let's have fun, shall we?"

Only Seiichi Yukimura could make a flirtatious line sound like a one-way ticket to hell.

* * *

**a/n:**

**THE POLL IS UP AND READY ON MY PROFILE, SO MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A VOTE! But I think only registered users are allowed to vote, so if you're a guest, feel free to leave a vote in the reviews. **


	38. Unbearable Summer

Summer.

It was the sun's season, literally it's "time to shine" and bestow upon Kanagawa its rays and rays of bright light. It was also a time of heavy humid air and sweltering days, where the heat seamed to choke just about anyone it could snake itself around. Like a python with its prey, the heat-haze choked and strangled its victim until finally—they gave up and let the humidity take them.

Oh yes, summer was a brutal time for everyone.

Naturally, the solution would have been to simply visit the beach and cool off in the ocean's salty waters, but in the case of a certain light beige-haired blonde, he just didn't have the _energy._

Matsumoto's bike had a flat tire, and to work under the relentless sun would have been a suicide mission. Besides, the beach during this time was always filled with noisy children and swarming with rowdy teenagers.

Now that—_that,_ Matsumoto did not want to deal with.

He sat on his couch in a lazy sprawl, one arm and leg hanging limp from the edge. With a small whine, he covered his eyes and turned towards the air from the fan.

It seemed as though it were so hot, the fan could only blow hot air into Matsumoto's sweaty face.

"Hey, Hitoshi, you still need to finish up your math homework." Said a certain blue-haired boy, who sat quietly by the coffee table. He was reading a book and drinking a can of cold juice; the condensation dripping one after another onto the brown wood of the table and leaving a growing puddle. Matsumoto groaned as he glared at his boyfriend.

"Easy for you to say," he began—the childlike whimper in his voice being done on purpose, "You're not dying from this awful heat like I am."

"Oh trust me, I am, but I'm just not as vocal about it as you." The boy returned coolly, flipping a page in his book as he took another nonchalant sip from his juice can. Matsumoto's frown intensified as he forced himself to sit up from the couch. Sometimes Yukimura could be the biggest asshole.

"Fine then, whatever." Matsumoto grumbled as he sat down on the floor, picking up his pencil and looking at the algebra below him.

Curse Yukimura.

Curse algebra.

Curse Yukimura _and_ algebra.

Soon there was a moment of silence in the sultry house, save for the various groans that emitted from Matsumoto every now and then and the noisy whirring of the rotating fan, but for the most part quiet and dead. Even though Matsumoto still found it difficult to concentrate with such unbearable heat, he had to admit, this kind of silence was nice.

He continued to work on his math homework, oblivious to the Yukimura until the sound of his book hitting the table snapped him out of focus. He looked up from the worksheet below him and glanced at the blue-haired boy for a moment, blinking.

Yukimura had stopped reading, and was now staring at the beige-blonde. There wasn't any significant expression on his face as he gazed at him.

"… Do you need something?" asked Matsumoto as he returned to his work. "When you stare at me like that, it gets kind of awkward."

"You don't like me looking at you?"

"It's not that I don't like it. You just make it very uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry, then." He replied as he stood up (taking his juice with him), settling himself down on the floor behind Matsumoto. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist as he leaned forward to kiss the back of his neck, licking and biting the exposed skin there. Matsumoto squirmed and covered the spot, frowning disapprovingly at his boyfriend.

"You're the one who told me to do my homework, and now you're gonna distract me?"

"Hm…" Yukimura hummed and rested his head against the boy's back. "I just didn't like the way you were whining."

"Well I don't like the way you're hugging me even though you know full well it's summer." Matsumoto retorted as he turned around and pushed Yukimura's approaching face away. Yukimura laughed heartily as he pushed the boy's hand away, pushing himself against his boyfriend's body once more.

"Then will this help?" he suggested as he slipped a hand under Matsumoto's shirt, lifting up and pressing the cool juice can against his stomach. Matsumoto's reaction was _immediate._

He squeaked adorably and arched his back against Yukimura's body, simultaneously shoving the blue-haired boy's hand away and unconsciously kicking his legs upwards, his knees colliding with the top of the coffee table. With a cry of pain, he pulled away from Yukimura and fell to the ground, cradling his aching knees.

"Seiichi, you mean… mean… _mean_ person!" he whined as he rubbed the skin there, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "I hate you!"

Yukimura chuckled and wedged a hand under Matsumoto's weight, then easily lifting him up and holding him in a light cradle. "I'm sorry, Hitoshi, I didn't mean for that to happen." He smiled, brushing his fingers through messy light-beige tangles. Matsumoto glared at him and hissed, "Oh shut _up,_ you're not guilty and I know it."

Yukimura laughed again as he nuzzled his nose against Matsumoto's neck, his lips spreading into a wide smile. "… I know." He murmured as his lips puckered against the skin there, the soft kiss making Matsumoto melt against his arms.

"… It's still too hot, Seiichi."

"I know."

Regardless, Yukimura did what Yukimura wanted and summer or not, if he was in the mood to embrace his boyfriend then that was precisely what he was going to do.

For the most part, Matsumoto didn't mind.

* * *

**a/n:**

**THE POLL IS UP AND READY ON MY PROFILE, SO MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A VOTE! But I think only registered users are allowed to vote, so if you're a guest, feel free to leave a vote in the reviews. **


	39. Phone Call

When Yukimura first received a call from his best friend Sanada, he'd honestly expected him to go on some long tangent about tennis. It wasn't an uncommon experience, but always unusual, as Sanada never seemed to enjoy conversing through mobile devices. For goodness sake, he could barely text!

But nothing prepared the blue-haired teenager for… _this._

Because the first thing that Sanada said was;

"Seiichi, you talk with Matsumoto, don't you?"

It was a strange question, but even more idiotic than anything else. Yukimura always knew that Sanada was a bit daft at times, but this was off the charts. He bit back the sarcastic answer itching to come out and instead replied, "Yes, I _do._ We talk, flirt, and spend time together."

_If we didn't, we'd be in a very awkward situation._

"Ah. How do you talk to someone, then?"

"… Excuse me?"

"Wait—let me rephrase that. How do you…" there was a long pause, the uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line prodding at Yukimura's curiosity, "…how do you, er, f-flirt with someone?"

Yukimura blinked, and all he could muster was a strangled cry of confusion and surprisingly—_amazement._ Was this really Sanada he was talking to?!

"N-Never mind, it was a stupid question on my part, let me hang—"

"Wait, Sanada!" Yukimura exclaimed while he bolted up in bed in a giddy rush. His navy locks bounced as he sat up and folded his legs, and he practically yelled, "You _actually_ like someone? And you _actually_ want to _flirt_ with them?" As exciting as it was to find out that Operation SanaYana wasn't an entirely hopeless cause, Yukimura was well aware that there was a chance that this "mystery" person wasn't Yanagi. Still, it didn't hurt to pry.

"Yes, I actually have feelings, Seiichi," Sanada grumbled, "So if you're going to humiliate me go ahead and do it. But if you're going to keep me on the phone at least be a decent person and give me advice after laughing at me."

"Oh please Sanada, this is good news, very good news." Yukimura prattled as he stretched his legs out. "So—what exactly do you want to tell this person? That they're pretty? Or that their personality is attractive and unique?" Yukimura thought back to all the times he spent alone with Matsumoto, and the hundreds of different ways he teased him. Sanada wasn't usually playful, but if he was in the mood, he could become quite the mischief.

"I-I guess." replied the embarrassed vice-captain, a nervous cough quickly following after his short reply. Yukimura chuckled humorously into the phone, the image of a flustered Sanada coming to his head, and he tapped his pointer finger against his knee.

"Well… I suppose I can be kind." He hummed, "What is this other person like?"

"That's… not relevant."

"I can't give you proper advice if you don't tell me."

"I don't need proper advice then."

"Come on Sanada, I'm your friend, you can trust me."

There was a long silence on the other side of the phone, and Yukimura could tell that Sanada was contemplating on the blue-haired boy's words. It wasn't entirely untrue of course; Yukimura did know how to keep a secret. He disliked gossipers so he wasn't going to be a gossiper. Still, it would be a cruel, cruel lie if he said that he wouldn't use this precious information as blackmail.

"Well… I won't tell you the person, but I will tell you that they're a very respectable being. They're polite, well-spoken, refined, and… and… uh, beautiful. That is all I will tell you." There was soft pause, a thoughtful pause—albeit, being just a tad bit awkward—before Sanada hastily added, "Their looks are also something to marvel."

"Hm... sounds like a wonderful person, Gen'ichirou." Yukimura murmured, a soft smile spreading across his lips. While he considered Sanada's personal life to be none of his business, Yukimura was glad that his friend found someone that romantically interested him. "Anyways, perhaps this person would like it if you were to compliment their eyes, or their persona. And use metaphors! Or similes! Hitoshi always loves it when I tell him that his eyes remind me of the ocean, or that his freckles are like little stars. He never tells me that he enjoys it, but that little smile he tries to hide is all I need to know.

"I know, I know, you're not into this cheesy, mushy stuff, but it works, okay? Besides, it never hurts to try, so throw away that stubborn pride and think of something pretty and use it. So take my advice and actually use it, Sanada. If this mystery person doesn't like it, then blunt words just might work."

Sanada let out a soft sigh. "It's going to be difficult… but I _suppose_ it wouldn't kill me to attempt this sort of thing for once in my life."

"Fufu, I'd love to see you try flirting, Sanada. I'm positive it'd be tragically hilarious." Yukimura laughed, receiving a disapproving grunt in reply.

"I should have never called you. But I'm appreciative of your advice; it will not go to waste." Sanada said, "I have some other matter to take care of now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Same to you, Sanada. Bye."

"Bye."

After Sanada hung up, Yukimura flopped back into bed, staring blankly at his phone screen for a long time. Then, in a sudden rush of excitement, he begun to dial another number.

"Now I wanna talk to Hitoshi!"

* * *

**a/n:**

**THE POLL IS UP AND READY ON MY PROFILE, SO MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A VOTE! But I think only registered users are allowed to vote, so if you're a guest, feel free to leave a vote in the reviews. **


	40. Warmth

_Warm. _

_He's so warm. _

That was the one thought that always came to Matsumoto's mind whenever Yukimura would wrap his arms around him, his nose nuzzling against the curve of his neck and his soft lips leaving bare kisses on the skin as he whispered sweet-nothings. Sometimes Yukimura's hugs were so warm that whenever he pulled away, the coldness left behind would leave Matsumoto shivering and silently begging for his love again.

No amount of sunlight and no amount of scarves or jackets or even mittens could match the tenderness that came from Seiichi's arms and bosom as he pulled Matsumoto close; as his smile stretched across the softness of his cheek.

Yukimura was always so kind, so kind that it was spoiling Matsumoto and luring him into a trap made of nets and honey—he knew he was becoming selfish, and he wanted Yukimura to gaze at him and only him, but at the same time Matsumoto knew that this was precisely what Yukimura wanted.

He wanted to become Matsumoto's world, he wanted Matsumoto's love and he wanted Matsumoto.

And as Matsumoto's eyes fixed on the powerful shade of violet that reflected from his boyfriend's own eyes, as the owner of those magnificent eyes smiled softly and reached forward, his long and slender fingers brushing across Matsumoto's jaws, Matsumoto knew that he was falling deeper and deeper into Yukimura's love spell.

"Seiichi?" he murmured, setting his hands down on Yukimura's forearms as he leaned forward, "Seiichi..?"

Yukimura pressed his thumb against the beige-blonde's lips and slowly ran his fingers down his bottom lip. With a smile, he murmured, "You don't have to say anything. Your eyes say it all."

Matsumoto chuckled quietly, tilting his head and cupping the hand that rested on his cheek. "That's so cheesy."

"But you love it." Yukimura returned, also laughing. At this, Matsumoto only replied with a faint smile, and he pulled away from Yukimura's touch on his own (despite his body's reluctance).

With a wave of his hand he said, "Go to practice already. It'd be bad if the captain were to play hooky."

Yukimura sighed and stood up from the ground. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Will you be walking home with me today?" he asked as he patted off the dirt from his uniform.

Matsumoto shook his head. "I'm going to be walking home by myself for a while."

At this, Yukimura's smile dropped, but not completely. "Oh… okay. Just call me if you ever get into any trouble, okay?"

Matsumoto's lifted his hand and gestured at him with the trademark "OK" sign as he winked. "I will. But I'm not that weak, Seiichi, I'm sure I'll be able to win a fight."

At this, Yukimura rolled his eyes and shook his head like a disappointed parent, but the grin on his face was still visible. Afterwards he left the rooftop, not without a goodbye kiss of course, and finally left Matsumoto to himself.

During this time, Matsumoto could only sigh and silently pine for Yukimura's warmth again.

* * *

**a/n:**

**Remember to leave a vote on the special oneshot poll!**


	41. Presentiment

In only a few weeks Nationals would be here, and Rikkaidai's tennis club would be ready to claim its third victory.

To grab hold of that victory, to be able to proudly say that as captain of Rikkaidai's tennis club he was able to lead Rikkaidai on its superb winning streak despite the obstacle that was his illness, it was his dream, his _raison d'être,_ if you will.

Unlike many others his age Yukimura was no dreamer; when he wanted something, he made it his mission to make whatever it was he imagined vividly in his head a reality. He would do whatever it took to reach the top, to stand on the world, to be a _God._

Amazingly, as modest as he was, he still had his ambitions.

Greatness aside, there _were_ moments where Yukimura allowed himself to be normal—where he allowed himself to be soft and gentle and loving. He doted on many things and people; his plants, his sister, his teammates.

Then, there was Matsumoto.

Yukimura loved Matsumoto with all his heart. Of course, to say that Matsumoto was without flaws would have been a lie, but he couldn't help it. He loved all there was that the boy had to offer—even if he were plain and simple there was more to him than looks and skills.

There was something about Matsumoto, something about his deep blue eyes and his insightful vision. He was beautiful, like a kaleidoscope, because with every angle there was something new discovered, and there was another reason to love him.

But with Nationals approaching, Yukimura couldn't help but feel dread.

As perfect as they were together, they were still very different people with very different morals in the end.

Yukimura was someone who always got what he wanted; he was someone who climbed to the top, who did whatever he wanted without any thoughts of consequence bearing down on him.

Matsumoto was someone who was quiet, he was kind, and he was thoughtful. He did whatever he wanted with the image of his friends and family on his mind—he could never hurt someone to achieve his goal.

And Yukimura was scared because of that.

He was scared because that was all it would take to shatter their relationship.

* * *

**a/n:**

**Remember to leave a vote on the special oneshot poll!**

**edit: I forgot to add this in, I'm sorry! A very lovely DeviantART artist by the name of FuonHicali drew me this very cute picture of Hitoshi, you guys should look at it! XD**

**Also look at the rest of their gallery, their art is pretty good!**

** sta . sh / 01hfk8gt21rv**


	42. Like Blooming Verbenas

The air heavy with humidity added with the lack of clouds was a burden on the tennis team, as there was no protection from the unforgiving sun above. The heat waves were unbearable, but they were Rikkai, and no force of nature could ever deter them from practice.

On one court were the first-years, who were doing swing practice. The one in charge of them was Yukimura. On the next court were the second and third-years, who were also doing swing practice. The one in charge of them was Sanada. Then finally, the regulars were on their own separate court, a little far from the swing practice group. They were having practice matches.

With nationals coming, they've been having more practice matches than usual.

On a normal basis, Sanada or Yukimura would observe the games but the two trusted Yanagi enough to keep things level. After all, he wasn't the third demon in Rikkai's so-called "Three Demons of Rikkai" trio for nothing. Though he may not have been the scariest of the two, he had quite a few intimidating features.

But ever since Nationals begun approaching, it seemed that Yukimura had grown even crueler, more so than Sanada. There was practice every morning, afternoon, and weekend. No matter how high the temperature got, there was no sympathy from him or the vice-captain. Even if he were to feel the same as his fellow teammates, as the vice-captain of the club—and as Yukimura's closest friend—Sanada knew better than to oppose the boy.

However, from far-off, watching the tennis club practice so hard under the unforgiving sun, was someone new. He hadn't known Yukimura for as long, but was as close to Yukimura's heart as Sanada. His soft, ocean-blue eyes focused on the boys with the sympathy that Yukimura lacked, and his tongue yearned to voice the words that Sanada couldn't.

Matsumoto continued to watch the tennis club for a long time, his lips pursed together tightly and his arms holding a small pot of flowers in a tight hug. He badly wanted to say something, but now was not the time. It'd been quite a long time, yet they've yet to take a break.

He wondered if Yukimura were being this cruel on purpose.

Hesitantly, Matsumoto approached the court, descending cement stairs carefully as he held a small pot filled with dirt close to his bosom. Once he reached the rusted green fences, he peered through it, gazing at the tennis club with a sympathetic expression clear on his face.

Eventually, his gaze shifted towards the captain, and he pursed his lips.

Suddenly, in one moment, Yukimura turned his head and their eyes met. It was only for a moment, yet Matsumoto felt something akin to fear rush down his spine.

Yukimura's eyes… they were so dark. So dark, so cold, so unlike the usual warmness that was normal for his lover.

Yet, Matsumoto couldn't look away. He was frozen in place, not a word coming to his lips as he continued to stare at the boy—no, the _stranger._

Yukimura, wordlessly, turned away again. It was almost as if they hadn't even seen each other.

As soon as Yukimura's focus changed Matsumoto exhaled, and he had barely even recognized the fact that he'd been holding his breath in the first place. He'd never felt so terrified before in his life.

Once he was able to breathe normally again, he turned around as well, ascending back up the stairs with racing thoughts and doubts. Could that really have been his boyfriend? Could that really have been Seiichi Yukimura, who was always so kind and humorous?

Matsumoto bit his lips and he turned around one last time.

It seemed that Yukimura had finally given his team a break, coming from the dissipated crowd of boys heading away from the court. Perhaps he wasn't being entirely cruel… perhaps.

And from the bottom of the gardener's heart, he hoped that the eyes he'd seen earlier weren't Seiichi's—he hoped it were all a trick played by the summer heat haze.

But even then… Hitoshi knew very well that he couldn't avoid the truth. He knew that he and Yukimura Seiichi were two completely different people with completely different lives living in completely different worlds with completely different morals and ideals. One could influence the other, but Yukimura was far too in love with his tennis to be changed.

Matsumoto wondered how long he could tolerate Yukimura's cruelty before he decided that he was far too soft-hearted for someone so determined as the blue-haired boy. Even worse, he wondered how long Yukimura could tolerate Matsumoto in general before deciding that the beige-blonde was no longer enough for him.

After all…

Matsumoto was so plain…

So modest…

So quiet…

So…

Matsumoto could feel himself become heavy as he rooted himself into the ground at the top of the stairs, the pot of dirt in his arms serving as a physical anchor for his own regret and guilt for thinking such things—for even considering the idea that he was undeserving of Yukimura.

He knew it wasn't something Yukimura would have wanted—but it was true, wasn't it?

Life was always hard this way.

With a wry smile, Matsumoto stepped forward to continue on his way—at least, that was what he intended to do, until he was suddenly grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms that wrapped tightly around his body.

In a moment of panic Matsumoto nearly dropped his pot of soil before coming to the realization that he _knew_ those arms. He recognized how broad the hands were, his eyes familiarizing themselves with the callouses and scars. He didn't even need to hear his voice or see his face to know that it was Yukimura Seiichi who was holding him so close.

Matsumoto's eyes narrowed, and he felt himself grow even heavier.

He could feel Yukimura's warm breath tickle the back of his ears and neck, and the heavy, intoxicating scent of rosemary sending his mind into a daze. His arms tightened around the flower pot in his arms and he closed his eyes, trying to will away the image of Yukimura forming in his head.

He wasn't deserving of Yukimura.

"Hitoshi…" said the captain, the softness of his voice turning Matsumoto's insides hot and mushy, "Hitoshi, don't go yet. Stay a little longer."

Matsumoto's eyes widened, and he felt himself become a little lighter—and admittedly, a little stupider—as he realized something else, something that was so clear and obvious from the very beginning.

Even though he didn't fully understand Yukimura yet, he wanted to try. If they really weren't deserving of each other, then why would Yukimura be putting so much effort into their relationship?

"Yukimura…" Matsumoto mumbled, "Do you want to know what I'm going to be putting in this pot?"

Yukimura nuzzled his nose against the curve of Matsumoto's neck. "No idea. What?"

Matsumoto smiled.

"Verbenas," he answered thoughtfully, "For cooperativeness."

Yukimura tilted his head. "Cooperative… like us, hopefully?"

The beige-blonde turned his head, and he stared at Yukimura's face. His eyes were bright again, like they always were when Matsumoto was around. His lips curved into a gentle smile, however sheepish.

Matsumoto answered his question by mirroring the same sheepish smile.


	43. Brown Like Embers

His eyes weren't exactly brown.

They held _many_ different shades of brown, those brilliant auburn eyes of his. Especially on a clear day, when the sun was out and at its brightest Sanada would catch little specks of gold and pink, like dust particles in a ray of light, twinkling and serene. But it would be only for a brief moment, before they go dark and plain again.

Embers.

His eyes are like fading embers, but instead of becoming ashes they grow stronger, shining even brighter as he continues to play against his opponents. But not often does he get to see his eyes.

Renji Yanagi's eyes are almost never open, but when they are, Sanada looks into them, gazing into those calm embers that glow but never die. It's beautiful in a strangely satisfying way, and when Sanada is captured he cannot look away. It is only when Yanagi catches him staring that his eyes immediately avert from his.

Rarely is Sanada ever embarrassed but whenever Yanagi catches him staring he can't help but look away and ignore the warmth filling his cheeks.

He's not really sure when he noticed how beautiful Yanagi's eyes are, but one thing was for certain…

… this feeling wasn't normal.

With a heavy sigh he glanced back at Yanagi, who was still staring at him quizzically. His eyes were closed now.

Sanada pursed his lips, mentally arguing with himself over whether or not he should approach the data master. Unbeknownst to him, however, the brunet took it upon himself announce his presence instead. He paced over to Sanada and tapped his shoulder, taking him by surprise.

"R-Renji!" he stuttered, eyes blinking rapidly. Yanagi raised an eyebrow. He'd never heard Sanada stutter before. It was only when Yukimura was giving him a hard time that Sanada got flustered like this.

The brunet cleared his throat softly. "I noticed you staring at me, Gen'ichirou. Is there something wrong?"

Sanada, too, cleared his throat. Except difference was it sounded more forced and awkward as opposed to calm and composed. "No. Nothing's wrong, it's just that…" his voice trailed off as he stared at Yanagi's blank expression.

"Just that what?"

"Your eyes are…" Sanada mumbled, looking away as he did so.

_Beautiful._

"Brown. Your eyes are brown." He said lamely, unable to look at Yanagi in the eye anymore. Yanagi smiled sheepishly, and he elbowed his friend playfully.

"Yes, thank you for noticing. Your eyes are brown as well."

Sanada grunted, and waited for Yanagi to leave before allowing himself to relax again.

He would have to consult Yukimura about this.


	44. sleeps like a baby

Sometimes, during the weekend, Yukimura would take some time off of tennis practice and spend it at Matsumoto's house.

Matsumoto's parents had discovered about their relationship a little while ago, when his mother had caught sight of them kissing in the kitchen when they'd previously thought she was out shopping for groceries. Of course, she told Matsumoto's father, and in a fortunate turn of events they took it surprisingly well. They fully supported him, even congratulating him for having found someone so special.

And from then on, Yukimura was _more_ than welcome to come over anytime he pleased.

So on this particular morning he left his bed and did his usual morning routine; he showered, washed his face, brushed his teeth, fixed his hair, etc. Afterwards he put on some nice clothes and ate breakfast with his family, brushing off their curiosities about his outfit as mere imagination.

Of course, he was going over to Matsumto's house.

Matsumoto's parents allowed him inside warmly, though they warned him that he was not usually up until a few hours later. Yukimura took their caution with a warm smile and headed upstairs and into Matsumoto's room.

Just as they had said, the blond-haired boy was still resting underneath the comfort of his covers, snoring softly as he slept. Yukimura's lips stretched into a small smile, and he slowly approached his lover with gentle steps. When he sat down next to Hitoshi, carefully moving away his blanket as he did so, he peered at the sleeping boy's face.

His expression was kind, even though he was sleeping; there wasn't even a twitch of his eyebrows. His mouth was slightly parted, and Yukimura resisted the desire to join their lips together. He didn't want to stop indulging himself with the sweet peacefulness Matsumoto always seemed to radiate.

Hesitantly, he reached out to Matsumoto and brushed his fingertips against the warmth of his cheek—like always, the boy's skin was warm and welcoming.

_I love him so much. _

Suddenly, Matsumoto begun to stir, and the ocean-blue of his eyes peeked at him through thin slits and translucent lashes. He gazed at Yukimura for a second, before a cordial smile touched his lips and his eyes.

Wordlessly, the blond-haired boy moved away from Yukimura, pulling away his blanket as well. Then he motioned at the empty spot in his bed, patting it lazily in a gesture that told Yukimura to join him in bed.

Yukimura's grin became sheepish, and he did as Matsumoto asked. He slipped underneath the covers and embraced Matsumoto's body, noting how perfect their bodies fit together. Matsumoto's legs wrapped around Yukimura as he pressed himself against the tennis player's bosom. Yukimura, in turn, wrapped his arms around Matsumoto in a protective hug.

Immediately Matsumoto returned to his unconscious state, but Yukimura stayed awake. He didn't know how long Matsumoto was going to sleep for, but he supposed it would probably be for the rest of the morning.

Either way, he couldn't say that he minded.


End file.
